The Track Star and The Cheerleader
by not-so-average-fangirl
Summary: High School Junior and Track Star, Beca Mitchell, gets thrown for a loop when her father gets a new job at Barden High School. She's forced to leave her current high school and join Barden just as her Junior year is starting. What could possibly go wrong? Or, after meeting a certain redhead, possibly go right? (Bechloe High School AU)
1. Moving

**Author's 1st Note: Heyyyy ;D**

 **Remember my next Bechloe multi-fic I was telling you guys about?**

 ** _*whispers*_ _Well,_ _t_ _his is it._ xD **

**I'm really excited about this one. I've got so many ideas for it and can't wait to take you guys along on the journey.**

 **So here we go! Let it begin. ;)**

* * *

Beca sighed as she placed the last box into the back of the Uhaul. She huffed a loose strand of hair out of her face and stared at the stacks of brown boxes and wrapped furniture. She never imagined she would be moving away just as her Junior year was starting. The horrible reality of it all was still surreal.

Beca's father was a Chemistry teacher who was offered a better teaching position at Barden High School. It was a great paying job at a great school. The problem? It wasn't Beca's high school. In fact, it was a high school many miles away from the home she practically grew up in. She hadn't lived in the area her entire life, but when she and her father moved into the house when she was nine years old, this neighborhood became all that she knew. It was this place that got her started in her current passion.

* * *

Over the years, Beca had made quite a name for herself as the _"High School Track Star."_ She trained hard and won most of the races she competed in. It was great being the big fish in the her small pond.

Beca picked up the knack for it when she was ten years old and got into heated argument with her father. She couldn't stand being in the house with him and for some reason had the sudden urge to just run.

So she did.

Her heart pounded in her chest and her heated cheeks cooled as the wind gently blew on her face. She ignored the tears rolling down her cheeks and let her legs take her where ever they wanted. She eventually ended up at a nearby park and spent a few hours curled up on a bench. She felt sadness but also relief. The time alone turned out to be refreshing and helpful. It was just her and her thoughts.

Beca was so tired of feeling hurt by the people that were closest to her. It happened many times before and never seemed to stop. She came to the conclusion that she no longer wanted to feel pain or sadness. Especially from people she had attached herself to. She decided it would be best to just keep people at arms length from then on.

After the park, Beca decided to run back home. She didn't know why, but she felt a sense of freedom when she ran. And from that day on, every time she felt overwhelmed about something, she ran.

* * *

Beca felt a strong hand wrap around her shoulder,

"Alright kiddo. Is that everything?"

She didn't make eye contact with her father and kept staring at the boxes, "Yeah," she replied flatly, "That's it."

Her father took note of her grim response and shook her shoulder in comfort,

"Hey, this is gonna be great. Before you know it, you'll be just as popular there as you are here." His attempt to cheer her up failed miserably. It wasn't about being popular. This place meant a lot to Beca and formed her into the person she was today.

Her father sealed the truck and got into the driver's seat. Beca followed soon after and slumped into the passenger seat next to him. He started the truck and smiled, putting his hand on her knee before driving off,

"Everything will work out just fine. I promise."

Beca didn't move but glared at him through the corner of her eye,

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She crossed her arms and looked back out the window. Her father's smile reluctantly fell. He decided to give up for now, but didn't entirely lose hope for his daughter. He drove the truck out of the driveway and Beca wistfully watched as her home grew smaller and smaller behind her; ultimately disappearing completely. Beca knew the drive would take a while, so she put her headphones on and doze off to the music.

* * *

"Beca." Her father gently shook her shoulder, "Wake up, honey. We're here."

Beca blinked her eyes open and sat up, removing her headphones,

"What?"

"We're here," her father repeated.

"Oh–" Beca looked out the window and her father got out of the truck. She shut her iPod off and stepped out, onto the driveway. The house was nicer than their previous one.

While their last home was a one story with a small porch and no backyard, this one had two-stories, a decent sized porch and a cute backyard with an orange and lemon tree. As they started to unload the boxes, Beca found that her room was also bigger than her last. The discovery intrigued the brunette for a moment, but her contentment didn't last when she reminded herself that this was not her home and she was not happy about the move in the first place.

* * *

The track star eventually tied her hair up into a pony tail and removed her plaid shirt in an attempt to cool herself off. The constant walks from the truck to the house, mixed with the carrying of the heavy boxes, was a pretty good workout. Although her endurance was decent, her small arms weren't of much help. She struggled up the porch steps and tripped on the last one. Just as she was about to fall forward, a pair unfamiliar hands appeared from behind her and grabbed onto the box, helping her catch her balance.

"Woah! Be careful!"

A startled Beca quickly turned to see who helped her and was greeted by a boy that looked to be about her age,

"You alright?" he asked.

Beca was glad he had kept her from falling, but it's not like he saved her life or anything, so she acknowledged him like she did anyone else; indifferently.

"Yeah. Thanks," she said, not hesitating to continue into the house. Much to her annoyance, the boy didn't take the hint and followed her in.

"My name's Jesse. I live in the yellow house next door." Beca could hear the smile on his face as he spoke behind her, "What's your name?"

She placed the box on the floor of their living room and turned around, walking back out the door as she replied,

"Beca."

Jesse was still unfazed by her blunt attitude and continued to follow her around like a loyal puppy,

"Beca? That's a cool name." He watched as the smaller girl pulled another box off the truck, "Need some help?" He reached forward but Beca quickly avoided him and moved to the side,

"No, I'm fine. I got it." Beca didn't like receiving help from anyone. She always stubbornly insisted on doing things by herself, even when she clearly needed the help. Jesse just smiled and brought his hands up, backing off.

"Okay," he grinned. They walked back into the house, "So where'd you move from? Are you gonna go to Barden? What grade are you in?"

Beca's tolerance level dwindled with each question. She dropped the box she was carrying, not caring where it landed, and quickly turned to face him,

"Look– it's Jesse right?" The boy nodded, still having a goofy grin on his face, "I don't mean to be rude or anything but–"

"Beca, who are you talking to?"

Beca and Jesse both responded to her father suddenly entering the room. He heard his daughter speaking from the other room and wondered who else was in the house. Before Beca could reply, Jesse enthusiastically introduced himself,

"Hi! I'm Jesse." He stuck his hand out and shook the man's hand, "I live next door." Beca rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. This was a waste of her time.

Mr. Mitchell ignored his daughter's rude gestures and greeted the boy,

"Oh, okay. It's nice to meet you, Jesse. I'm Beca's father, Benjamin Mitchell."

Jesse raised his eyebrows,

"Your first names' Benjamin?" His already apparent, and in Beca's opinion really unnecessary, smile grew wider, "No way! My best friend's name is Benji!"

Mr. Mitchell chuckled, "Well, would you look at that." He was amused by Jesse and he seemed like a good kid. Mr. Mitchell couldn't help but delight in the idea that Jesse's high energy and positive attitude would maybe rub off on Beca if they get a chance to hang out more.

"I don't mean to interrupt your guys' bromance or anything, but we've got boxes and furniture to bring in and I wanna have my bed set up before it gets too late so I don't have to sleep on the floor." Beca's voice was firm and persistent. She didn't mean to be impolite, it just came out that way.

Mr. Mitchell made a face to his daughter,

"Beca, don't be rude." He turned his attention back to Jesse, "I'm sorry Jesse, but we do need to get a lot of work done around here. Perhaps you could come by another time. I'm sure Beca would like that." He looked over Jesse's shoulder towards his daughter, "Won't you, Beca?" he asked, with a hidden warning tone that only Beca would recognize.

Beca widened her eyes and rapidly shook her head. She stopped when Jesse turned around to face her,

"Yeah, sure!" he smiled. Beca gave a quick and totally fake smile in return. Like hell did she want this Jesse kid around again.

Mr. Mitchell patted the boy on his back,

"Come on, we'll walk you out." He guided him outside and gave Beca one last warning look before they fully exited through the front door.

"Well, good luck with everything you guys." Jesse looked to Beca, "It was nice meeting you," he grinned, "Maybe I'll see you around at school."

Beca gave a tight smile,

"Sounds great."

Jesse waved them 'goodbye' and strolled back over to his house.

"Finally," Beca scoffed.

"Hey, be nice. He seemed like a nice kid."

"Yeah, a little too nice if you ask me." She walked off the porch and continued to bring in the last boxes that remained in the truck.

* * *

As the late evening approached, Beca and her fathered managed to get most of the important furniture into the house. He locked the Uhaul back up for the night, intending on bringing in the rest of their belongings the following day. Both he and Beca needed to get good sleep since they were both starting school bright and early the next morning. It wasn't ideal for either of them, but it was what it was, and they couldn't change it.

* * *

Just as Beca had hoped, she managed to build up her bed before it got too late and set it up so she could just collapse onto of it after taking a nice hot shower. She felt dirty and sweaty from all the moving and wanted to get herself cleaned and in bed as soon as possible.

Although her bathroom was really nice, it still felt strange and new to her. This wasn't the bathroom she was use to. But just like everything else, she had to learn to adapt to it. Beca did enjoy her knew shower, however. It was a square, clear glass shower stall, with stone tile walls and flooring. She was also pleased to find that the shower head was removable. That would definitely make washing her hair much easier, amongst other perks she could think of. She stepped inside and enjoyed the clean water washing away the manual labor she endured.

* * *

Beca knew she was going to be starting school the following day, so she packed her pajamas and a clean outfit in a separate bag for easy access. After the shower, she changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. She was on her phone when she heard her father knock on her door,

"Beca?" he called.

"Come in."

He opened the door and leaned on the door frame,

"Everything good?"

Beca didn't remove her eyes from her phone screen and lazily nodded,

"Yup."

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" He knew going to a new school was never easy. Especially doing so during Junior year. He really wanted the best for Beca and hoped she would grow to love this new school.

Beca shifted her eyes to him, "Yeah, dad." She looked back at the screen, "I'll be fine." She spoke the confident words, but even Beca knew she was still nervous. Who wouldn't be?

Her father gave a soft, closed smile and quietly sighed,

"Well, I just wanted to say goodnight and wish you luck for tomorrow."

Beca heard the sincerity in his voice and finally put her phone down to look at him,

"Thanks, dad." She gave him a quick, side smile, "Goodnight."

Her father softly nodded and left her room, closing the door behind him.

Beca got up and turned her bedroom light off, using her phone as a flashlight to guide her back to her bed. Once she got under the covers, she set the alarm on her phone and plugged it into the socket next to her bed to charge it over night.

She laid in the darkness and stared up at ceiling in deep thought. She didn't know what to expect for tomorrow and was both scared and anxious to find out. She immediately assumed the worst because, well, that's just who she was. She couldn't help it. But she also couldn't help wanting to believe the tiny bit of hope she had that maybe, just maybe, good things would come out of this school.

She quieted her thoughts and turned over on her side, gradually drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Did anyone catch the dirty joke? ;D**

 **I'm also still taking prompts and requests for the Bechloe One-Shots story I have up. I'm planning, and hoping, on uploading a one-shot between new chapter updates for this story. Let's see how long I can follow that plan! haha**

 **Don't forget to review! Let me know what you guys think of this new story so far. :D** **Thank you!**


	2. First Day

**Author's 1st Note: Gahh, sorry for the wait! I've been switching from new chapters for this and one-shots for my other story, and work this week was just, woah!**

 **Anywho, enjoy the chapter! :)**

 **Thanks for the follows and reviews! :D**

* * *

Beca cringed when she heard the alarm going off in her room. Her peaceful sleep was rudely interrupted by the obnoxious alarm tone and it brought her back to the real world. She groaned and lazily got up, reaching for her phone to silence the annoying sound. She yawned as she stretched herself out and eventually got up.

Beca didn't put too much thought into her "first-day-at-a-new-school-outfit", and settled with a basic outfit she often wore. She decided to go with a tight, black, long sleeved shirt that she pushed up just above where her elbows bent, and a white, black, and blue plaid shirt on top; also rolled up to her elbows. That, combined with dark skinny jeans and black converse, and you had yourself one Beca Mitchell who was so not ready to meet her new peers.

After curling her hair and adding some eye liner, the track star walked into the kitchen and found a note with some money on it

 _"_ _Beca–_

 _Here's some money so you can_

 _buy lunch. Good luck today!_

 _–_ _Dad"_

"How sweet." Beca sarcastically said out loud, crumbling up the note and shoving the money in her pocket. Since her father was a teacher, he was required to be at the school much earlier than she was, especially since he was new. Beca remembered she also had to get to the school some what early so she could recieve her schedule and I.D. from the main office. She grabbed her backpack and headed out the door, not bothering with eating breakfast since there wasn't any food in the house anyway.

* * *

Barden High was only a few blocks away from Beca's new house. She didn't mind the walk, it wasn't too far and it gave her a chance to listen to her music and just escape the world for a bit.

After about fifteen minutes, the track star finally made it to her new school and removed her earbuds, looking up to the main entrance. She casually walked up the stairs and ignored the random students walking around her. When she reached the main door, Beca let out a sigh and entered the office.

"Okay, here is your schedule," the older woman at the desk said as she handed Beca a small, squared piece of paper, "and here is your I.D." she smiled, repeating her action, but this time handing her a small, rectangular card.

"Thanks," the tiny brunette replied. She looked down at the paper and read the schedule to herself as she exited the office:

 _Period 1: English 11 / Room: 201 Period 4: Cooking / Room: 235_

 _Period 2: Pre-Calculus / Room: 312 Period 5: Economics / Room: 107_

 _Period 3: US History / Room: 303 Period 6: Free Period_

Beca made a face when she read, _"Period 4: Cooking"_.

"What the fuck? Cooking?" she said out loud. _Why the hell did my dad put me in cooking?_

Just before Beca and her father made the official move to their new house, Beca was still attending her old High School, leaving Mr. Mitchell to sort out her paperwork and enrollment at Barden. Which also included picking some of her courses. Although, Beca was glad to see she had a free period, most sports use the last school period for practice, and Beca was definitely going to join the track team at this school. But why did her father pick _"Cooking?"_ Did her really not know his daughter that well?

The track star rolled her eyes and made a note to ask him about the choice later. She looked up at the wall clock and saw she had about ten more minutes until school started. She decided to use the time to walk around campus and find her classrooms. This way she knew where to go and wouldn't look totally lost.

* * *

The first bell rang and she made her way to her English class, trying her best to avoid any eye contact with her new peers. She entered the classroom and noticed there were some open seats in the back of the class. She was hoping she would get just as lucky in her other classes, because she had no intentions of sitting in the front if she didn't have to. The back of the class was perfect. It was safe.

Beca got comfortable in one of the seats and sighed, leaning back and crossing her arms as she looked around the room. It was a typical High School English classroom, with mostly blank walls except for the occasional inspirational poster. The back wall, however, had random essays and poems pinned on it. They all had an 'A' written on it, and Beca assumed the wall was for the teacher's favorite pieces his students wrote.

Beca was distracted with the written pieces on the wall behind her, that she didn't notice the Australian sitting down next to her.

"Hey new girl."

Beca quickly turned around and responded to the unfortunate nickname she knew she would probably hear multiple times that day.

"You're sitting in my seat." The blonde pointed down at Beca's chair and the track star matched her gaze,

"Oh, my bad." She started to collect her things and get up but the Australian stopped her,

"No, it's cool." she said, "I was just giving you a heads up. Mr. Selby might move you," she gestured to the older man sitting at his desk, typing something into his computer.

Beca titled her head to the side a bit, this chick actually seemed pretty cool,

"Oh–okay," she said, sitting back down, "Thanks, dude."

"No problem."

The second bell rang and the blonde started to pull out her binder and notebook, setting them both on her desk. Beca wasn't sure what she needed for the class but figured a notebook was a good place to start. She took out a black notebook from her back pack and opened it to the first page.

"So what's your name?"

Beca looked at the Australian, surprised that the blonde wanted to carry on a conversation with her,

"Beca," she simply replied.

The girl smiled, "Well welcome to our school, short stack. My name's Fat Amy."

Beca furrowed her brow and slightly widened her eyes, "You're–" she hesitated, still processing what she just heard, "Do you say _Fat_ Amy?"

Amy grinned and nodded, "Yeah. That way twig bitches like you don't say it behind my back."

Beca raised her eyebrows and smirked. She could already tell she was going to get along just fine with the foreigner. She amused Beca in a way that wasn't annoying. Before the brunette could reply, Mr. Selby got up from his desk and started the lesson. He unfortunately pointed Beca out when he asked who was the new student in the class. So much for laying low. Beca knew this would most likely happen in every class, so she mentally prepared herself for the embarrassment that would continue throughout the day.

She paid attention for the most part, but was glad Amy would occasionally make funny remarks during the lesson. She made the weight of being the 'new kid' a little easier. Well, at least for this class. Beca slightly frowned when she was reminded of the fact that the blonde was probably not going be in any of her other classes, let alone be sitting right next to her and making the class much more enjoyable.

The bell rang and Beca was surprised when Amy stood by and waited for her to finish packing up her things. They walked out together and Amy stopped her in the hall,

"Here new girl," she handed Beca a folded piece of paper, "In case I don't see you around, that's my numba." She leaned in closer to the brunette and covered half her face with her hand, "Be careful calling me at night, I might charge you for my services." She winked and walked away, leaving Beca to ponder what she just said.

It took the track star a second, but she eventually snickered when she finally understood joke and shook her head in amusement. Beca wasn't giddy or anything, but it was nice knowing she apparently already made a friend. Especially one as entertaining as Fat Amy. She grinned and stuck the paper in her pocket. She pulled out her schedule and checked it to remind herself which class she had next.

* * *

When the second bell rang for her Pre-Calculus class to begin, Beca was disappointed her new favorite Australian didn't walk into the classroom. And just like Beca predicted, her absence made the class much less tolerable. No one in this class made an effort to talk to the tiny brunette like Amy did, but Beca wasn't surprise, she expected that.

The class carried on and the only thing Beca found interesting was kid answering most of the questions. The teacher said his name every time he pointed to him and Beca remembered her new neighbor Jesse mentioning what his best friend's name was.

"Yes, Benji?" the teacher gestured to the eager student,

"Twenty-seven," he answered.

"Correct." The teacher turned back to the board and explained why that was the correct answer. Beca smirked. She was a hundred percent sure this kid was Jesse's best friend. She could easily picture them hanging out and doing dorky things together on a daily basis.

* * *

Her second period class ended and lead to a recess break. The track star decided to walk around with her earphones in. She observed the atmosphere and the peers around her. Everyone was scattered around the outdoor quad in their cliché cliques. Beca wondered where Amy was but wasn't about to go on a search party for her. She passed an area near the end of the quad that had three steps going up to a higher cement platform. She didn't know why, but she got the vibe that section was for the "popular kids".

Beca continued to free lance around the school until the bell rang. She wasn't looking forward to her next class, she had never been a fan of History. It was a subject that just never stuck to her.

The class was as boring as she thought it would be. Nobody interesting was in it and yet again nobody talked to her. Shocker. The only way Beca managed to not go completely insane was by doodling in her notebook and fantasizing about running around the track after school.

It had been a few days since the last time she ran. She was too busy with the move to get a chance to. Beca was desperate to feel that freedom once again.

* * *

After her third period ended, Beca checked her schedule again and was reminded of her next class, which she found completely pointless: Cooking. She rolled her eyes and huffed, making her way through the stampede of teenagers and wondering how many miserable days of High School she had left in her life.

She made it to the classroom and noticed the change in atmosphere. The room was not like the others. For starters it was much bigger. The first part of the room had group tables and two stools at each table. Together they faced a big white board. The second part of the classroom was the kitchen side. Multiple stoves and counter tops surrounded the section and each station was identical. In the middle of all the stoves was long silver table with many ingredients and kitchen utensils on it. There were also a couple of cabinets and storage units with other cooking supplies.

"Hey new girl!"

Beca hadn't seen the person, but couldn't help but feel relieved when she recognized the voice.

"Hey Amy," she turned and smiled. Amy gestured for her to come sit at her table,

"Come sit with me, short stack." Beca didn't hesitate and joined her new friend, setting her back pack on the table.

"Isn't anyone else sitting here?" the brunette asked. Amy made a funny pouting face and shook her head,

"Nah, not everyone can handle sitting next to someone as sexy as me."

Beca chuckled and amusingly nodded in agreement, "Makes sense." Beca took out her notebook and pencil and set it on the desk, placing her bag under her stool.

"So why are you in cooking class? You don't seem like the Betty Crocker type to me." Amy joked.

Beca snickered at her comment, "Yeah, I'm not. My dad signed me up for it for God knows what reason," she rolled her eyes at the last part, emphasizing her dislike for the subject. "I'm planning on switching out anyway. Why are you in this class?" she asked.

Amy shrugged, "I don't know. It seemed like fun, plus I like food so."

"Good point," Beca grinned. The second bell was going to ring soon and Beca was curious to see what other kind of people were in this class. She looked around and noticed most of the students were girls. She found that Benji kid sitting a few tables over, however. No surprise there. Then she noticed two more guys walking in, who didn't seem like they would take a course like this. Beca watched as they walked by her table.

"Amy," muttered the one as he passed the Australian.

"Bumper," she retorted back. Beca raised an eyebrow,

"What was that?" she asked, curiously.

Amy looked at her as if nothing had happened, but was unaware of the light blush across her cheeks, "What was what?"

Beca noticed the boys sat down at the table behind and watched the same brunette boy peeking over at Amy while his darker friend chatted with him. Beca put two and two together and grinned,

"Never mind."

The bell rang just as one more girl rushed in. Beca quickly glanced over but had to look again. She caught the brunette's eye and for some reason she stood out from every one else Beca had seen that day. She had red hair and bright blue eyes that were accented by the light blue shirt she had on. The track star was too busy watching the girl to notice the teacher at the front of the class.

"You're late," the blonde instructor said to the girl.

"Sorry, Miss Gail." The red head grinned and walked over to her seat, which happened to be right in front of Amy. Beca quickly looked away when the girl glanced over at her before she sat down.

 _Shit, did she see that?_

Wait, why did it matter if the girl happen to see Beca looking at her. It's not like that was weird or anything. Beca looks at people all the time. No big deal.

"Nice one, Chloe." Amy teased the ginger. Beca took note of her name.

 _Chloe..._

The red head looked over her shoulder, "When am I ever on time?" she grinned.

Amy laughed, "Touché."

Chloe looked over at Beca again and looked like she was about to say something, but was interrupted when Miss Gail started talking,

"Alright guys, before we start today, I was told I've got a new student. Where you at, kiddo?"

 _Crap._

Beca slowly stood up with a tight, embarrassed smile and brought her hand up,

"Right here," she replied, trying to ignore all of the unfamiliar eyes uncomfortably staring at her.

The teacher smiled, "Hi. What's your name?"

"Beca."

"Alright, Beca. Welcome to cooking class. My name's Mrs. Abernathy-McKadden-Feinberger, but since that's not fun for anyone to pronounce, you can just call me Miss Gail."

Beca didn't want to laugh in front of the woman, but she found her full name to be pretty funny. She wondered why she even kept all those last names. Filling out paper work must be a hassle when the small boxes could barely fit Beca's full name.

The track star gave another tight smile, "Sounds good," she said before sitting back down on her stool. Beca quickly looked over at the red head again, but she had already turned around and was writing something in her notebook.

Miss Gail continued with the lesson, but since it was still the beginning of the year, there wasn't going to be any actual cooking for another week or so. Throughout the class, Beca couldn't fight the strange urges to keep glimpsing over at Chloe. Why? What was so special about her? She was just another random girl. No need to keep looking at her Beca.

* * *

The track star was strangely disappointed when the class ended. Miss Gail was a pretty good teacher, she wasn't like the others. She was energetic and cool and made the subject fun and interesting to learn. Plus, having Amy as a seating partner was entertaining. Beca collected her things when the bell rang and watched Chloe quickly grab her belongings and leave the room. Beca then looked over at Amy,

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have Economics after lunch, would you?" She was secretly hoping she did.

"Nawh, sorry short stack. I've got History after lunch."

Beca's face slightly fell, "Oh, alright." They walked out of the class together and Beca was secretly happy she didn't have to spend lunch time alone. After they bought their food, they spent the rest of the time chatting and getting to know each other. Beca's first impression of the blonde was correct, she was pretty cool.

* * *

After lunch, the two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. The brunette made her way to her last class and slumped in her chair when she didn't recognize anyone. Great, another boring class.

As soon as the last bell rang, Beca grinned and quickly collected her things. She figured out where the athletic building was from exploring the campus earlier. She walked into the hallway and was about to enter the girl's locker room to change when she spotted, what looked to be one of the school's coaches, and got their attention.

"Excuse me," Beca called. The coach turned around and smiled,

"Yes?"

Beca approached the woman, "Do you know when track try outs are?"

The coach nodded, "Sure do. They're going to be here on the field, after school, this Friday."

 _Friday._

That meant Beca only had two days to make up for the running time she lost with the move. The brunette smiled,

"Okay, thank you."

"Sure thing." The coach waved her off and turned back around to continue down the hallway.

Beca sighed. She wanted to make sure she did her best at the tryouts and with the many days she couldn't practice, Beca knew she had a lot to make up for. She entered the locker room and heard a few girls already in there. She didn't want to change in front of anyone so she looked around and rushed through an empty row of lockers, heading straight for the bathroom. She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one noticed her and ended up colliding with someone.

"Ow!"

"Shit!" Beca groaned and had her eyes shut in pain as her hand reached up to touch the part of her head that hit the other person's. "So sorry dude, I wasn't pa–" she froze when she finally opened her eyes and saw who she had just ran into. She hadn't known them long, but she instantly recognized the crystal blue eyes.

Chloe chuckled at Beca's expression, still rubbing her own forehead, "It's okay. It was an accident."

Beca could feel her face heating up. Great, what a fantastic first impression;

 _"_ _Hi I'm Beca, the girl who doesn't know how to walk right!''_

Beca mentally cursed herself and didn't make eye contact with the girl out of embarrassment,

"No it's not okay. I should've been watching where I was going."

Chloe grinned, "It's Beca, right?"

Beca's eyes widen a bit. _She remembers my name?_

"Y-Yeah, that's me." Did she just stutter?

"Is your dad the new Chemistry teacher?" She asked with an intrigued tone, confusing the small brunette.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I'm in his class. He told us he had a daughter who just started going here. After Miss Gail pointed you out in class, I figured that was you." She smiled. She had a great smile. Not that Beca was noticing.

"My dad's talking about me to his students? That's embarrassing," she said out loud, but sounded like she was talking to herself. Chloe just giggled,

"Don't worry, I'll give you a heads up if he pulls out the baby pictures," she winked, making Beca feel...weird.

"Come on ladies! Practice is starting!"

Beca and Chloe reacted to the loud voice ringing in the locker room. The red head looked back at Beca,

"Gotta go, coach is calling."

The brunette watched as Chloe headed to the door, turning around to look at Beca one last time before exiting, "See you around," she grinned and walked out, leaving Beca with a strange, incomprehensible feeling brewing within her. The brunette shook it off and entered one of the stalls to change.

* * *

She walked onto the track that wrapped around the football field. The football team was practicing on the field and Beca could see what looked like a group of cheerleaders practicing at the other end of the track. Other than those two groups, the track was open, minus the few people randomly jogging or walking around. Beca smiled internally as she put her earphones in and pressed play on her iPod. It had been long enough since the last time she felt this way.

She let the music take her away as she started to move her legs. She quickly picked up the pace and enjoyed as the wind kissed her face and her heart pounded in her chest. She was free. She couldn't stop herself from smiling out of pure joy, that is until she got closer to the other end of the track and recognized a particular red head posing on top of the cheerleading pyramid.

 _She's a cheerleader?_

Of course she was. Why was Beca even surprised? How could a pretty girl like her _not_ be on the cheer squad.

 _Wait, pretty?_

Beca didn't realize she was staring as she ran passed the group but was instantly reminded when Chloe noticed her and smiled. Beca quickly turned her head back to face the track and bit her lip trying to just focus on her running. It wasn't as easy as she thought it would be, especially when she had to pass by the practicing girls every time she lapped. The track star tried hard to not look over at them when she got close, but she thought her peripheral vision caught the ginger looking at her a few times.

After only running about a mile and a half, Beca didn't want to get distracted anymore and decided to just run suicides. Not that Chloe was distracting her, because she wasn't. Why would she?

The brunette ran three sets of suicides at the other end of the field, then took a break to cool down and drink some water. She walked over to the near by water fountain and was disappointed to see the cheerleaders were still in the same spot. Beca really wanted the run the track at least two more laps, but those stupid cheerleaders hadn't moved. She shifted her weight from side to side, trying to figure out what she should do.

She finally decided she would just sprint one full lap. It was a quick solution and she hoped she would run fast enough to not even be able to see the red head through her peripheral vision. She lined herself up at her starting point and took a deep breath.

"Go."

She instantly started sprinting and was determined to make it all the way around. She could feel her legs getting tired when she started coming up on the cheerleaders but her fire was brought back to life when she spotted Chloe. She had to run faster. So, she did. Beca zoomed by and couldn't tell if the ginger had seen her or not. She pushed herself just a little bit more and finally made it to the end. The track star slowed down and walked back down to the locker room, trying hard not to pass out.

* * *

After cooling herself off, the track star collected her things and walked home. Beca knew her father wasn't going to be back until around five or six, and arrived to an uncomfortably new and empty home. She through her back pack onto her bed, and gathered her pajamas, fully intending on not leaving the house for the rest of the day. She took a refreshing shower and changed into her comfortable clothing, dropping onto her bed and pulling out her notebook. Beca was glad the only homework she had to do was just a few math problems out of the Pre-Calculus workbook.

Her father came home just as she was finishing her assignment. She heard him knock on her door.

"Come in."

Her father entered her room with a grin on his face, "So, how was it?"

Beca looked at her father with a straight face, "It was–"

 _Interesting. Intriguing. Confusing. Not what I expected._

 _"_ Fine."

Mr. Mitchell knew his daughter wasn't one to get into to detail and just nodded, "Alright, great. At least it wasn't bad," he gave a small smile.

"Yeah–" Beca said, putting her notebook back in her bag. She suddenly remembered something and looked back up at her father, "Hey, why did you put me in Cooking class?"

He knew she would eventually ask him this, "Well at this school you're required to take one practical art course and one fine art. You already did your fine art credit at your last school, and I assumed you wouldn't want to be stuck with a practical art course during your Senior year."

Beca was oddly moved by this. Maybe her father did know her better than she thought. He was right, she would much rather take the pointless course now than during her Senior year. But why did it have to be cooking?

"There weren't other practical arts to choose from?" Beca asked, not giving her father the little bit of credit he just earned.

"Is it really that bad?" Beca looked at him deadpan,

"It's cooking."

Mr. Mitchell got the hint, "Okay, okay. I guess I'll have them switch you out as soon as possible."

Perfect! Beca wouldn't have to take the stupid class anymore! She couldn't be happier. This was just what she wanted. No more cooking lessons, no more Miss Gail, no more Fat Amy, no more...

"Wait!" Beca called out, stopping her father halfway out the door, "Um–" she thought up a quick explanation, "You know what? It's fine, I'll give it a try. I mean the teacher was pretty cool and it seems like an easy class, so, you don't have to switch me out."

Mr. Mitchell was impressed and yet very curious. He knew his daughter, he had a feeling there was some other reason she decided to stick with the class, but he wasn't going to press his luck.

"Well alright then. Sure," he smiled and was about to exit but turned back around, "Hey, did you eat yet?" Beca shook her head, "Well come to kitchen, I'll make us some soup."

The brunette was pretty hungry so she got up from her bed and followed her father into the kitchen.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Awh, snap. Maybe that cooking class isn't going to be as bad as she thought. ;)**

 **Stay tuned for more! :D**

 **Don't forget to review! You guys keep me going. :)) Thanks!**


	3. Day Two

**Author's 1st Note: ...I am so sorry for the wait. I had gotten really busy with work last week and just yesterday I landed in another state for a 10 day vacation. But don't worry! I am on vacation, but I'm definitely still writing while I can. I love it too much to not do. xD**

 **Also, I changed the rating to 'T' until the story gets to a more rated 'M' chapter.**

 **Any who, hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

Beca awoke the following morning with the same negative anticipation of what the school day would bring. It wasn't until she was approaching her first period class that she remembered about her newest friend, Fat Amy, and her mood instantly elevated from it's original gloomy state. She walked into the class and smiled when she spotted the Australian chatting with the person sitting in front of her. Beca approached the seat next to her and sat down, trying to get the blonde's attention but not wanting to look obvious.

She must have succeeded and Amy turned to look at her, "Hey new girl!" she exclaimed and nudged Beca's arm, "So how did your first day turn out?"

Beca shrugged, "Alright, I guess." Her lack of enthusiasm made Amy grin,

"You didn't get tossed in a trash can did ya?" she joked. The brunette raised a brow,

"No? Why would I?"

Amy shrugged, "I don't know. You're like to perfect size for one." Beca frowned, making the Australian laugh.

"Thanks." The brunette deadpanned.

Amy waited until her hysterics settled and wiped a small tear that formed in the corner of her eye, "Hey but you didn't! Sounds like a good day to me," she teased.

The track star rolled her eyes and opened her binder, pulling out her notebook and opening it to a new page. The bell rang and Mr. Selby got up from his desk to start the class. Beca and Amy occasionally chatted throughout the period, getting warned by Mr. Selby to stop. Amy waited until the older man had his back turned and childishly stuck her tongue out at him, resulting in Beca holding back a chuckle.

* * *

The bell rang and Beca started shoving her binder back into her bag.

"Hey, are you busy today, after school?"

Beca was some what thrown off by the question. She wanted to say she wasn't, but she knew she only had one day left to practice as much as she could for the track tryouts the following day. Beca was reluctant but she had to be honest,

"Actually, I was gonna run around the track for a while after school." Amy widened her eyes,

"Like for fun? Why?" The brunette couldn't help but chuckle,

"No, not for fun. I'm uh–" she hesitated and snickered to herself at how dumb she must sound to someone like Amy about actually _wanting_ to join such a demanding, almost unpleasant, sport. "I was going to try out for the track team tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I was ready for it."

"Really? Well that's cool! I mean I would never do that, but good for you, mate." Beca smiled when Amy playfully nudged her and they finished packing their things. They walked out into the hallway and Amy spoke up one last time before they went their separate ways, "Well text me after you're done with your running. We could grab a bite to eat or something later tonight." she smiled.

Beca couldn't help but smile back. This chick was cool and Beca was happy to know she might not have to spend the evening bored at home.

"You still got my numbah?"Amy asked, and Beca nodded. "Alright then." The blonde grinned and spun around to go down the other hallway, "See you at cooking!" she shouted, waving her hand in the air as she continued to walk down the hall.

* * *

Beca's Pre-Calculus class was also very similar to the first day. Benji would raise his hand for every question and Beca internally laughed when she noticed the teacher was getting tired of him being the only person answering the questions. However, her entertainment didn't last very long.

"Nobody else has the answer?" the teacher asked, ignoring Benji's obvious and eager hand, and scanned the room. His eyes landed on Beca, "How about you?" He pointed at the tiny brunette and her eyes darted up in terror.

 _Are you fucking kidding me?_

"What?" she simply asked, really not wanting to answer the question, even though she did know it.

"Could you please tell me what the solution is?" The teacher asked with pleading eyes. Beca nervously looked around the room and could physically feel her peers staring at her.

"Uh–" she looked down at her notebook and found the answer she had boxed earlier. She looked back up and cleared her throat before answering, "16?"

The teacher's face lit up and he smiled, "That's correct." He turned back to face the board and wrote down the number. Beca glanced at Benji who was still looking at her. Not in anger, or sadness, or in any kind of negative way. Just looking at her. Beca felt guilty for unintentionally stealing his moment to shine and mimed "sorry" at him. She was relieved when his blank face shifted to a toothy grin. He nodded his head, in what Beca assumed to be a 'good job for answering the question correctly' way and went back to paying attention to the lesson.

* * *

And then, cooking class arrived, and Beca found herself oddly looking forward to it. As she tried to enter the classroom, the track star found herself stuck between the doorframe and someone else and they struggled to simultaneously walk in. After a few grunts and groans, they finally broke free and Beca huffed as she looked up at the much taller and seemingly younger girl.

"Phew! Sorry about that." The peppy girl said as she fixed her shirt. She looked down at the annoyed little track star and gave her a friendly smile, "My name's Emily." She held her purple binder against her chest with one hand and used the other to offer it to Beca. The smaller brunette quirked an eyebrow,

"Beca." She stated, slowly shaking the spirited girl's hand.

"Sorry for squishing you at the door." She atoned.

"Emily!" The freshman looked over her shoulder at Benji, who was smiling and waving at her to join him at the table. She quickly waved back and whispered, "Hey," then turned back to Beca, "It was nice meeting you!" she grinned and enthusiastically waved the track star goodbye.

Beca shook her head at the amusing encounter and looked over at Amy, who was turned around and chatting with Bumper. Their conversation looked intense but Beca had a feeling was somewhere more along the lines of playful and probably ridiculous. The brunette plopped down on her chair and huffed her sides bangs out of her face. She placed her notebook onto the table and started to doodle in it.

"Well look who's on time." Beca heard Amy speak but when she peeked up, she realized it wasn't towards her.

Chloe grinned when she turned around, "I'm capable of many things, Amy."

"I thought you were never on time?"

Both Chloe and Amy looked at Beca who had snickered, but her grin instantly fell when she realized she had said the question out loud and regretted it immediately. She didn't want to seem like she was eaves dropping, even though she kind of was, and she didn't understand why the question she asked in her head suddenly released itself into the hearing world. She wasn't sure if she was blushing, but she could definitely feel her cheeks getting warmer and she widened her eyes,

"Sorry, I didn't mean to–" She stopped apologizing when the red head laughed.

"It's cool," she smiled, "Like I said," the way she looked into Beca's eyes made the tiny brunette feel strange, "I'm capable of _many_ things." Beca swallowed the knot she was unaware had formed in her throat when Chloe emphasized that one word. Why did she have to say it like that? And why did it make Beca's skin tingle?

"Okay show off, no need to bring out the list of things you're great at." Beca was glad Amy cut in with a joke. There had been unusual tension building up between them that made the brunette feel uncomfortable. Or maybe Beca just felt like there was. Either way, the Australian's timing couldn't have been more perfect.

The track star was too caught up in her thoughts to hear the witty banter that occurred between the ginger and the blonde, and only came through in time to hear Chloe giggle at the last thing Amy said. The red head's eyes then went back to Beca,

"Hey by the way, you can run _really_ fast."

Beca blinked, "Huh?"

Chloe lightly giggled at the younger girl's dumbfounded face, "I saw you running around the track yesterday. I was impressed." She grinned.

Fat Amy cut into the conversation before Beca got a chance to reply to the unexpected compliment,

"She's trying out for the track team tomorrow."

Chloe's face lit up, "Really?" she waited for Beca to confirm Amy's statement but the track star couldn't comprehend why the ginger seemed so intrigued.

"Yeah. I was, uh–" Beca stopped. She was going to mention how she was the track star of her last school, but didn't want to come off like she was conceded. She cleared her throat before continuing, "I ran track at my old school."

The bell rang and Miss Gail wasted no time starting the class, cutting off Chloe's reply. The red head's face lightly fell, almost like she was disappointed she couldn't finish what she wanted to say. She quickly glanced in the direction of their teacher, then opened her mouth to try again.

"Chloe! Please turn around."

The ginger rolled her eyes, causing a small smile to form on Beca's lips, and finally turned around to pay attention. They learned about kitchen safety and what some of equipment does, preparing to eventually use the kitchen section of the classroom the following week. Amy mentioned how anxious she was to show off her incredible cooking skills. Apparently, she was the most talented chef in Tasmania.

* * *

The class ended and Beca waited for Amy to finish putting everything back in her bag.

"Hey, Beca!" The track star looked over towards the entrance to see who had called her, it was Chloe. "Good luck tomorrow," she smiled and walked out the door, leaving the tiny brunette some what bewildered.

"Thanks," she said, the corner of her lip slightly curling up. She knew the red head couldn't hear her, but she felt like saying it out loud anyway.

Beca and Amy spent lunch together again, along with her other friends, Lilly and Ashely. They talked about their classes and how their days were going while eating traditional, cardboard, High School pizza. Beca hit it off with Amy's friends and they exchanged numbers. Beca had to ask Lilly to repeat hers twice, since she didn't hear her the first two times.

* * *

Beca's last class thankfully went by quick and she made her way down to the locker room. The sounds of some girls scattered throughout the room could be heard and Beca looked around as she headed for the bathroom. She found herself some what disappointed when she didn't see a familiar red head. But why would she be looking for her anyway? She shook off the thought, not wanting to ponder it any further, and changed in one of the stalls.

* * *

Beca stepped onto the track and put her ear phones in. She looked down the football field and could see the football team was practicing, but she didn't find a group of cheerleaders anywhere in the area. She instantly pushed aside the sudden bit of sadness she felt and thought to herself, _Good. No distractions._

Not that Chloe was a distraction. Because, she wasn't. At all.

Beca started her playlist and began running around the track.

* * *

The track star eventually checked the time and was surprised to see she had been practicing for a whole hour. She couldn't believe how much time had flown by. As she headed for the locker room, she stopped and took a drink from a nearby water fountain. Her head was pounding, her skin was on fire, and she could feel the sweat trickling down all over her body. She felt great. No pain, no gain she always said, and she loved the way she felt after a good workout.

Beca entered one of the bathroom stalls and changed back into her regular clothes. She remembered Amy wanting to hang out with her in the evening, and instead of showering at the school, Beca wanted to go home to clean up and change her outfit. When she opened the stall door, she froze and the person at the sink in front of her made eye contact through the mirror.

"Hey, Beca." Chloe smiled, turning around to face the little brunette.

Beca was still a little stunned but snapped out of it so she could reply, "Chloe. What are you doing here?" She didn't want to be intrusive and mentally kicked herself for sounding that way.

Luckily Chloe didn't seem phased by it, "Oh, we just finished practice." Beca's face must have expressed her perplexed thoughts and it made the red head giggled, "What?"

Beca was unaware of her visible expressions, "What?"

"You looked confused when I said my practice just ended." Beca furrowed her brow,

"I did?" Chloe nodded and Beca looked down, "Oh, well I–" she fought her unnecessary nervousness and mentally collected herself.

 _What the hell, Mitchell? This isn't like you._

She looked back up at the ginger, "I just didn't see you on the field. I thought maybe you didn't have practice or something." She finished her sentence with a shrug, trying to keep her cool and composed facade.

Chloe crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes a bit while a smirk tugged on her lips. "Are you saying you looked for me?"

The question practically smacked Beca across the face. Why would she ask that? Maybe Beca had been looking for her but that didn't mean anything.

Right?

Beca stood still with her mouth slightly opened, ready to say something, but never actually getting the words out and Chloe laughed.

"I'm just kidding, Beca." The brunette nervously laughed along, hoping she wasn't noticeably embarrassed. "We had practice in the gym today. We're trying new stunts, so we need the mats under us in case we fall."

"Oh. Makes sense." She spoke in a higher pitch than she would have liked. An awkward silence fell between them when neither girl really knew what to say next. Beca didn't know what it was about this girl that made her feel so, different. If a silence broke out between Beca and anybody else, she wouldn't care and it definitely wouldn't be awkward. In the back of her mind, Beca was starting to worry about these unfamiliar feelings.

It was finally Chloe who broke the silence,

"Well, I've gotta get going," she gestured her thumb towards the door, "I'll see you in class." She said as she bent down to pick up her bag and waved as she left the room. As soon as she was gone, Beca released the breath she didn't realized she had been holding. She walked over to the sink and washed her face with cold water, sighing in the mirror. The brunette starred at her reflection and told herself that she wasn't feeling anything for this girl and if she was, it was just a simple crush that would be gone in no time.

Or so she hoped.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: I don't know why but I just really love writing a nervous Beca. Especially because of Chloe. It's very fun. xD**

 **Thanks for the Favorites, Follows, and Reviews. You guys are amazing! :)**


	4. Billy's Burger Joint

**Author's 1st Note: Umm... I don't know. Hi guys, I love you.**

 **Okay, enjoy the chapter. xD**

* * *

Beca was eager to get home. She knew she had plans with Amy to look forward to and knew hanging out with the foreigner would definitely get her mind off of some irritating things.

Who did this Chloe girl think she was? Suddenly coming into Beca's life and stirring up feelings within her that should never be messed with. Why? Why her? So what if she had really pretty red hair that cascaded perfectly around her face? So what if her light eyes were the color of the morning ocean and sparkled every time she shined that bright smile of hers? So what? It was nothing special and it definitely shouldn't be making Beca _feel_ anything because of it.

The track star grunted in frustration and stuck her earphones in, raising the volume on her iPod until she couldn't think anymore.

Beca managed to keep the cheerleader off of her mind for the rest of the walk and finally arrived at her house. She went through her clothes and after picking a different outfit to change into, the track star went straight to her bathroom to take a shower. She turned the water on, and after testing the temperature a few times, Beca stepped inside. She washed off the dirt and sweat that had collected on her skin and washed her hair as well. She reached up to detach the shower head and brought it down to rinse off the suds.

Her mind suddenly wandered and Beca found herself thinking about Chloe once again. She wondered what the red head was currently doing. Had she gone home? Was she out with friends? Was she doing her homework? Maybe she was at her house taking a shower too. Beca had no control of her thoughts as her mind started to imagine what that would look like. She suddenly gasped, instantly coming out of her thoughts and looked down. Her hand that held the shower head unconsciously found its way down to her core as the images had grown more detailed.

"Fuck– No!" Beca gritted through her teeth.

This was not happening.

She quickly put the shower head back in it's rightful place and continued rinsing herself off, forcing her previous thoughts to hide in the back of her mind. She didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about _Chloe_ like that. She barely even knew the girl!

* * *

After exiting the shower, the brunette changed in her room and plugged her hair dryer in. She grabbed her phone and checked the time: _5:43 pm._ Beca hesitated before sending Amy a text.

 ** _Beca:_** _"Hey Amy"_

She shoved the phone in her back pocket and started drying her hair. It wasn't long until the track star felt her rear end vibrate. Beca was surprised at the quick response.

"That was fast," she said, pulling her phone back out and reading the message:

 ** _Amy:_** _"Heyy short stack! Ready to come_

 _out on the prowl with me tonite?"_

Beca snickered and texted back.

 ** _Beca:_** _"Almost. Where are we going?"_

Beca was hoping where ever they were going wasn't too far from her new house. The track star only had her permit and she didn't feel like driving with her dad to go meet up with her new friend. She knew he would ask questions she wouldn't want to answer and would probably want to introduce himself. Beca decided if the location was close enough she would just walk, but if it was farther she considered riding her bike. Her phone went off again.

 ** _Amy:_** _"Billy's Burger Joint. I'll pick u_

 _up in 15 min. Whats ur address?"_

Amy had a car? Even better.

Beca sent her the address and finished drying her hair. She quickly curled it and touched up her makeup, which turned out to be just some mascara and more eyeliner. She grabbed her money and house key and was about to walk out the front door when her father arrived home.

Mr. Mitchell stepped back when Beca almost ran into him,

"Hey, where you off to, kiddo?"

The brunette huffed, "Dad, I'm seventeen years old. Will you please stop calling me that."

Her father chuckled, "Okay, I'm sorry. I forget sometimes." Beca didn't respond and tried to push passed him. "Hold on," he said as he brought his arm up to block the door and Beca glared at him. "Where are you going?"

"I got invited to go hang out with a friend. I'll see you later." Her father removed his arm and smiled as he watched his daughter walk out of the house.

"I told you you would make friends easily!"

Beca rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Dad," she muttered as she walked to the end of her driveway.

Amy hadn't arrived yet, so Beca put her ear phones in as she waited. She yelped when she suddenly felt a hand tap her shoulder and quickly turned around to see who it was.

"Woah!" Jesse shouted, jumping back when Beca equally frightened him.

"Dude!" she yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Sorry!" he cried and held up a big white bag, "I was just taking the trash out. I saw you standing there so I thought I'd say 'Hi'."

Beca eased her breathing, "Jesus..." she sighed and the boy chuckled.

"So how are you? I haven't seen you at school."

Beca wasn't in the mood to have small talk with her new neighbor. Jesse did seem like a nice kid, but there was something about him that the track star found slightly annoying.

"Fine, I guess."

Jesse wasn't phased by her short answer and smiled,

"Yeah? What teachers did you get?" Beca bit her lip. She was ready to tell him to buzz off when a car horn beeped behind her.

Amy rolled down her window, "Let's go, new girl!"

Jesse narrowed his eyes, "Is that Fat Amy?" He smiled when he recognized her and waved, "Hey, Amy!"

Beca didn't wait and made her way to the Australian's car. Amy noticed Jesse behind her and waved back,

"Hey, Jess! Is this short stack your new neighbah?" she asked while Beca sat in the front seat next to her and closed the car door. She hoped it her actions cue Amy to hit the gas and leave, but much to her disappointment, they stuck around a little longer. Jesse came up to the opened window and popped his head in, getting too close for Beca's liking. She leaned back in her seat as far as she could as the boy spoke,

"Yeah she moved in a few days ago. Where you guys going?"

"Billy's," she simply replied.

"Oh nice. Well you two have fun! I'd go too, but I've got a lot of homework to do tonight." He shrugged and gave a crooked smile, expressing his dislike for the unfortunate fact. He then looked at Beca, "See ya later," he smiled and left.

"Please, no." Beca muttered, loud enough for the Australian to hear and she laughed.

"Yeah, he can be a handful sometimes." She backed the car out of Beca's driveway and they made their way to the burger joint.

* * *

The place wasn't too far from Beca's house. It was a tad bit too far for a comfortable walk, but Beca could have easily ridden her bike there. They got out the car and the track star looked up at the big pink and blue neon sign that glowed, _"Billy's Burger Joint"_. Beca found herself a tad surprised at how many people were packed inside.

"Wow. There's a lot of people here."

Amy came up next to her, "Yeah, it's a pretty popular spot. The food is great. I come here all the time." Beca nodded and looked over to see a giant statue of a cartoon, heavy man, smiling and holding up a big cheeseburger.

"I'm guessing that's Billy?" Beca asked, amusingly pointing at the structure.

"Yep. That's him," Amy grinned.

Beca snickered, "Nice." She followed the foreigner into the diner and commended the nineteen fifties theme it was decked out in. There was something very intriguing about the quaint restaurant and Beca couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips.

The hostess led them to a booth and Fat Amy would occasionally stop at random tables to greet friends she recognized. She would briefly introduce them to Beca, who would respond by giving a tight smile and awkward wave. They finally sat down and the brunette wasted no time reading the menu. She hadn't eaten since lunch time and after running as much as she did, she was starving.

"Hey, Amy."

Beca peeked out the top of her menu to see Bumper hollering at Amy from a corner table behind them. He was surrounded by his group of friends and was currently smirking at the blonde Australian.

Amy turned around and rolled her eyes, "Bumper," she replied. She turned back to look at her menu, not able to see the amused smirk that had spread across Beca's face. After looking it over, Amy ordered a regular cheeseburger with a vanilla shake while Beca ordered a bacon cheeseburger and matched Amy with a cookies n' creme milkshake. It luckily didn't take too long for their food to arrive and after some distracting small talk, Beca was relieved to see her food in front of her so quickly.

"Here you go, ladies," said the waitress as she placed the baskets in front of them and smiled, "Enjoy."

The track star immediately dug into her burger and Amy chuckled,

"Slow down, short stack. You're gonna choke."

Beca looked up at her with her mouth full. The pieces of burger pushing against her cheeks made her look like a chipmunk, triggering Amy's laughter once again. Beca tried not to laugh, afraid she was going to spit out her food. She quickly swallowed it and shook her head,

"I haven't eaten since lunch time. I'm starving," she explained, following her statement with another big bite.

"Well, I'm glad you like it then." Amy smiled. As they continued to eat, Amy waited until Beca was done with her burger, which only took maybe three minutes, before starting up another conversation.

"So, are you ready for tomorrow?"

Beca dipped some of her fries in ketchup and shoved them into her mouth before she answered, "Yeah," she shrugged, "I'm pretty good at running, so, I'm not too worried."

Beca had heard beforehand that Barden High School was known for their very successful sports teams. Their football team was the most praised. The gym trophy case was filled with their many championship victories throughtout the years. They were currently going undefeated for a record of three years in a row and were headed to their fourth. Next came their basketball team; standing at a close second when it came to popularity and trophies. Then finally taking third place was the Barden High School track team. Beca couldn't lie, upon hearing such information, she found herself driven to take their track team and move it up the chain of command.

Amy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'm sure you'll do gr–Ahh!" She yelled, when she suddenly felt something squishy hit the back of her head. Bumper and his boys started laughing hysterically and practically fell out of their booth. Beca couldn't believe what she just saw and her protective instincts stepped in.

"Hey! What's your problem?" she shouted, pushing herself up from the table and glaring at the immature boy. The boys weren't influenced by her attempt at being threatening and continued to laugh. Bumper held up his hands in defense and shook his head innocently, infuriating Beca even more. "Don't make me go over there and kick your–"

"Beca it's fine." Amy interrupted. She stood up and tried to ease the fiery brunette. "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom and wash it off." She scooted out of the booth and turned around to face Beca one more time, "Don't kill anybody!" Amy hoped Beca would listen to her request and just ignore Bumper and his crew. After the Australian disappeared into the bathroom, Beca huffed. She sat back down and frustratingly crossing her arms.

The track star grew annoyed at the sight of Bumper, so she looked away and faced the front door. She immediately regretted her decision when Chloe suddenly stepped into the diner. Two other girls followed behind her and Beca's eyes went wide as she watched them be lead to a table in her direction. She quickly turned away and tried to hide her face in her hair.

"Please don't notice me... Please don't notice me," Beca quietly mumbled to herself.

"Beca?"

 _Shit._

The track star looked up with a fake smile and acted like she was surprised, "Oh! Hi, Chloe. I didn't even see you come in," she lied, hating how her pitch always seemed to elevate whenever she spoke to this girl.

"What are you doing here?" Chloe looked down at the table, "Are you on a date?" she asked, referring to the second basket of food and empty seat across from the younger brunette.

"What?" Beca glanced over to see what she was talking about and finally understood, "Oh, uh, no. I'm here with Amy. She's in the bathroom."

The red head smiled, "Oh, okay."

"Who's this?" asked a tall blonde, as she walked up behind Chloe.

"This is, Beca. She's in my cooking class," she explained. "Beca, this is my best friend Aubrey." Another tall girl suddenly joined them, "Oh, and this is Stacie. She's co-captain of the cheer squad."

"Hey," Stacie grinned.

Beca gave a tight smile, "Hi."

Stacie was giving her a mischievous look, which Beca found a bit strange, but Aubrey was looking at her with a much more uncomfortable expression. Almost as if Beca had green skin and antennas sticking out of her head.

"You don't look like you'd be in cooking class," Aubrey commented.

Beca quirked an eyebrow, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"I think she'd make a cute little chef." Stacie interjected, winking when Beca looked at her.

Chloe chuckled, "Alright, I'll get these girls out of your hair before you _really_ get to know them." She started pushing the girls in the direction of their table, "See ya later, Bec."

"Bye," Beca said, even though she knew the red head wouldn't hear her. They were seated at a table across the diner, but Beca still had a clear view of their table. She found herself occasionally glancing over at the ginger as she waited for her friend to come back from the bathroom. The track star sighed in relief when she finally did.

"Good as new." Amy said, sitting back down in the booth. Although she hadn't known Beca for very long, the Australian was gifted at reading people and noticed something had changed in the brunette. "You okay?" she asked.

Beca snapped out of her daze, "What? Yeah, no I'm fine." Amy didn't believe her, but she didn't want to pry. Instead, she just gave a simple shrug,

"Alright."

Amy changed the subject as they continued finishing their meals. Amy took silent mental notes on how Beca kept glancing over a table behind them. When the brunette wasn't looking, Amy looked over her shoulder and was intrigued when she saw Chloe. She smirked to herself and decided to keep a close eye on Beca during any future interactions between them.

* * *

At some point Amy convinced Beca that dipping french fries in milkshakes was delicious. The track star didn't believe her until she eventually gave in and tried it. She was surprised, it wasn't as gross as she thought it would be.

They paid for their food and stood up to leave. Beca pulled out some ones from her pocket to leave a tip and looked over at Chloe one last time. She was caught of guard when the red head was already looking at her. Chloe smiled and waved a quick 'goodbye' to her and Beca couldn't help but return the smile and wave back. She left the tip and caught up to Amy, who was waiting for her by the front door. The blonde smiled when she noticed Beca's cheeks were a darker shade of pink than they usually were.

* * *

Beca was a little disappointed when the evening ended so quickly and they made it back to her house. The Australian parked in her driveway and looked over at her,

"Did you have fun?"

Beca gave a small smile when she realized she really did have a good time. She missed her old friends from her last school, but she was glad to have already befriended someone like Amy. She helped ease the stress that came with the move and helped Beca not feel like such a loser. The brunette nodded as she replied,

"Yeah, I did. Thanks for inviting me."

Amy grinned and lightly slapped her arm, "Of course short stack. We'll have to do it again."

Beca smiled, "Sounds good." She got out of the car and waved Amy off as the Australian drove off. When Beca entered her house, she found her father sitting at their dinning room table with a bunch of papers scatter around him. He looked up when she walked by.

"Hey, Beca," he greeted, smiling as he removed his reading glasses, "How'd it go?"

Beca thought back to the pretty decent night she just had, but since she never really liked sharing things with her father, she simply replied with,

"Good."

Her father had grown used to these types of answers, but she didn't say it went bad, so he slowly nodded his head and pouted his lip a bit,

"Well, alright. That's good to hear."

Beca gave him a quick smile in return, "Yeah, so I'm gonna go do my homework now," she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of her bedroom.

"Okay. If you need me, I'll be here. I've got some homework of my own to finish." He laughed at his own attempt of a joke but Beca remained unamused.

She went to her room and shut the door behind her, dropping her head back until it collided with the wood. She sighed as she closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. She couldn't believe how much of an impact she was allowing Chloe to have on her. She had only known the girl a few days! This had never happened to Beca before. No one had ever made her feel this unexplainable way and certainly not this fast.

Beca could feel herself getting overwhelmed and she had the strong urge to go for a run. If it wasn't for the homework she knew she had to get done, she would have. Instead, she settled for blasting her music in her ears and trying her hardest to focus on anything other than Chloe.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note:**

 **Fun Facts:**

 **1\. "Billy's Burger Joint" is inspired by "Bob's Big Boy" (anyone catch that?) ;)**

 **2\. The high school is inspired by the real life high school I graduated from two years ago.**

 **3\. The library in the background of the cover, is the actual library from my high school. ;D**

 **4\. I will continue to use real life places I know for the story.**

 **Let's see if throughout the story someone can figure out where I went to school. x)**

 **Thanks for reading and writing wonderful reviews. You guys keep me going. :D**

 **P.S. I'm back from vacation so, yay! More writing time! xD**


	5. Early Mornings

**Author's 1st Note: I just want to thank you guys for your feedback. I'm glad you guys like the story so far. :)**

 **Sorry these updates are a little spaced out, but you don't have to worry about me abandoning this or anything. I have way too many ideas I still want to get to. x)**

 **Anywho, hope you like the chapter. :D**

* * *

Beca's alarm went off and for the first time in a while, the track star woke up with her eyes wide open. It was Friday. Tryout day. Beca had set her alarm to go off a few hours earlier than usual, because since tryouts were directly after school, Beca wanted to have one last practice. She sprang from her bed with more energy than she thought she could ever muster up so early in the morning.

It was a tad bit chilly at this time in the morning, so Beca decided to put on a navy blue t-shirt and grey sweat pants to run in. She finished getting herself ready and started gathering all the things she was going to need for the day. Along with her everyday school bag, Beca made sure to pack a second bag that contained soap, two water bottles and two sets of outfits. One outfit was to change into after showering before school started, and the other was to wear during the tryouts. She grabbed all of her things and exited her room.

The track star stepped into the kitchen and was startled when she saw her father pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, placing her hand on her chest, You scared me." She put her bags down and walked over to the counter to stick a slice of bread in the toaster. Her father was taken aback by her appearance just as much as she was.

"What are you doing up so early?" He asked. Beca kept her attention on her search for jelly as she spoke,

"Tryouts are today. I wanna get an early practice in," she explained, finding the jelly and placing it on the counter. Mr. Mitchell was impressed. Beca had never been much of a morning person but watching her be so willing to get up at this time just to practice, made her father proud. It was nice seeing his daughter be so passionate about something.

A smile slowly crept on his face, "Well I'm impressed, Beca. That sounds really good."

The brunette glanced at her father in a curious manner. Why did he have to be so weird?

"Thanks," was all she replied with. The toast popped up from the toaster and Beca was quick to spread the jelly across it. She held the toast in her mouth as she put away the jelly and tossed the butter knife into to the sink. Mr. Mitchell just watched in amusement while his daughter swiftly maneuvered around the kitchen. She picked her bags back up and brought the straps around her shoulders as she left the kitchen. "Bye, Dad," she said, and walked out the front door.

* * *

Thankfully the walk to her school wasn't too far. Her shoulders only just started to hurt when she arrived. The track star made her way to the field and dropped her bags by the entrance to the locker rooms. She took out her water bottle and placed it next to her bags for easy access. Beca already had her earphones in from her walk and switched to the next song to start her practice.

It was nice having the track all to herself and even though she normally hated mornings, Beca enjoyed the way the cool air felt against her skin. It was refreshing. She also couldn't help but appreciate the way the sky looked as the sun continued to rise. It was beautiful. As she ran, Beca tried to count how many colors were blending together in the atmosphere.

* * *

When Beca was turned the last corner of her second lap, the track star could see someone standing at the end of the track. They appeared to be untangling their earphones or something. The only thing she could make out about them so far was their bright workout attire. She kept running and could now tell it was a girl. Beca wondered who else would be crazy enough to run this early in the morning. She finally reached a distance where she could clearly make out who the girl was.

"You've got to be shitting me."

The brunette slowed down her pace and stopped, still stunned when she finally reached the person.

"Beca?" Chloe smiled, when she looked up from her iPod. "What are you doing here so early?" She playfully narrowed her eyes, "Are you stalking me?"

Beca could feel herself getting anxious but she wasn't about to make a stuttering fool of herself again. She pushed her nerves aside and thought quickly,

"I could ask you the same thing," she quipped.

Chloe grinned, "Touché." She expected Beca to say something next, but the smaller brunette stood waiting for Chloe to answer the question, making the red head chuckle, "No. I come here every morning to run before school starts."

Beca quirked an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I don't know. I like running."

Beca shook her head, "No, I mean why so early?" The track star couldn't fathom why anyone would wake up this early just for fun.

Chloe shrugged, "I guess you could say I'm a morning person."

"Of course you are." Beca snickered, clearly not thinking before she spoke. She didn't mean for it to sound rude and she panicked until she looked at the ginger and was relieved to see she didn't seem offended; Instead, she kind of looked intrigued.

Chloe raised her brow and grinned, "And what is that suppose to mean?"

Beca smiled and decided to just be honest. "I don't know, I mean–" she gestured around Chloe's form, "You always seem so cheery. I don't think I've ever seen you without a smile on your face." It was true. Every time Beca saw the red head, she always seemed happy.

Chloe grinned, "So that automatically makes me a morning person?"

It was truly amazing how this girl always managed to make Beca feel stupid for the things she said. The track star had always been confident in her words, but no, not when it came to Chloe.

"Well no that's not– I mean–"

 _Mitchell. FOCUS!_

Beca cleared her throat and gathered herself together, "I just mean, like, how else could you be this energetic so early in the morning?" The crooked smile curling on her face was adorable, even if she didn't know it.

"Well," Chloe started, "running is like a stress reliever for me. I like the way I feel afterwards." She shrugged, "I don't know how to explain it," she confessed, meeting Beca's eyes and was confused as to what her dark orbs were indicating. They looked as though they were processing, while simultaneously expressing multiple emotions.

Beca knew exactly was Chloe was talking about. She knew what that feeling was after a good run. It was freeing. It was light and carefree, like any worries that were bearing down on your shoulders were lifted and everything was okay; Even if it was only for a little while. Beca found herself in awe meeting someone who also knew and appreciated that feeling.

"Beca?"

Chloe snapped Beca out of her daze, after she remained silent for a few seconds too long. The brunette shook her head and blinked away her thoughts.

"Sorry, no. It's just–" a small smile spread across her face, "I understand what you mean. That feeling," she explained. "That's why I run too."

Chloe returned an even brighter smile and started to wrap her earphones around her purple iPod. She looked back up at Beca and was oblivious to how her shinning smile was making the smaller girl's stomach flip.

"Wanna run with me?" Chloe asked.

The track star never had a running partner before. Some of her old friends had asked if she would like the company while she practiced, but Beca always claimed she didn't like the distraction. And now here she was with this engaging red head asking her the same question, and for the first time, Beca didn't hesitate to accept the company.

"Sure." She grinned.

They started at a steady pace, able to maintain small talk without getting too winded. It was nice. This was the first time Beca and Chloe got to have a one on one conversation with the sole purpose of just getting to know each other. Beca learned a couple new things about the red head, including her last name; Beale. Beca wasn't as open as Chloe, but she found it somewhat easy to share at least some aspects of her life that sometimes took other people weeks to find out.

The track star never knew running with someone could be so much fun. She wondered if it would be like this with anybody else, or if it was only this enjoyable because she was running with Chloe.

* * *

After running a mile and a half together, Chloe pointed out how much time had passed and suggested they start getting ready for school. Beca would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit disappointed that their time together felt too short. They picked up their bags and made their way down to the locker room.

Everything was perfectly fine. Beca was perfectly fine. That is, until Chloe started to lift up her shirt over her head, removing it completely and revealing her bright magenta sport's bra underneath. It was almost the same color as Beca's burning cheeks. The track star hadn't even thought about the idea that Chloe would also be showering before school started, but now here Chloe was, undressing herself in front of the nervous brunette and Beca couldn't help the way her eyes were following every one of the red head's movements.

Chloe could feel Beca's eyes on her and turned around in time to see the brunette quickly looking away. Chloe bit back a laugh at Beca's embarrassed face and decided to pretend like she didn't see anything.

Beca mentally kicked herself and turned away.

 _Smooth, Mitchell._

She started removing her own top, fighting the strong urge to glance over at Chloe as the ginger finished removing her clothes and stepped into one of the shower stalls. Beca wasn't sure how to feel. She acknowledged the way her stomach was knotting knowing that Chloe was showering, naked, just a few feet away from her, but she couldn't help the internal battle she struggled with as she reminded herself to not get too carried away with her emotions.

Beca eventually stepped into her own shower stall and enjoyed the sound of Chloe's voice ringing in the room as she lightly sang to herself. Beca recognized the song instantly as "Titanium" and mouthed the words quietly to herself. The brunette only ever sang when she was alone and she wasn't about to break that streak.

* * *

Chloe was done and exited her shower before Beca, but the brunette finished shortly after. She shut off the water and froze when she realized she forgot to pack a very important item.

"Shit," she muttered.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked from the other side of Beca's curtain.

Beca bit her lip. She couldn't believe she forgot something so crucial.

"I uh–" she sighed, "I forgot my towel."

Chloe couldn't help but laugh, "That sucks."

Her laughter didn't make the track star feel any better.

"This is so embarrassing." Beca groaned, and dropped her head against the tile wall.

"It's okay. You can use mine."

Beca stood up, "Really?"

"Yeah totes." she assured, and held out her towel in front of Beca's shower curtain. "Here."

The brunette assumed this meant Chloe wasn't using it anymore and moved the curtain enough to pop her head out and grab it.

"Thank you so–" Beca's eyes widened and her mouth dropped, "–Dude!" she shrieked, finding herself face to face with a fully naked Chloe. After accidentally looking at her long enough to get the image engraved in her brain, Beca came back to her senses and quickly shut the curtain. "What the hell?!"

Chloe raised a brow and giggled, "What? It's not like you don't have the same things."

"That is _so_ not the point!" Beca shouted, feeling her heart pound in her chest.

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Do you want the towel, or not?" She placed her hands on her hips as she waited for the brunette respond. Beca really did need it, so with everything she had, she calmed herself down as well as she possibly could and sighed,

"Yes."

Chloe smiled when she saw Beca's small hand slowly poking out from behind the curtain. Chloe gave her the towel and shook her head in amusement.

"You're funny," she chuckled.

"And you're weird." Beca countered as she started to dry herself off.

"Thanks." Chloe grinned and walked back over to her things by the sink. "You're welcome, by the way."

Beca rolled her eyes, "Thanks," she muttered. It was probably for the best that Beca couldn't see the way Chloe was bitting her lip, clearly entertained by the brunette's antics.

The track star finished drying herself off and waited a few moments before speaking,

"Are you still naked?" she asked.

Chloe giggled, "No."

Beca now knew she couldn't be too careful when it came to this unpredictable red head.

"Are you sure?"

Chloe's giggle turned into full laughter, "Yes! I'm sure."

The brunette slowly peered her eyes over the curtain and was glad to see Chloe was in fact wearing clothes now. Beca wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out of the shower.

"See?" Chloe gestured to her outfit, "Told ya."

"Mhmm," Beca hummed and walked over to her bag and pulled out her change of clothes. She found herself growing nervous when she realized she had to drop the towel in order to actually change. "Umm..." she looked up at the red head who was undoing her bun and was focused on her reflection. "Could you like, not look over here for a sec?"

Chloe didn't remove her eyes from the mirror as she started fixing up her hair and replied,

"Sure."

"Thanks." Beca laid out her undergarments over her bag so she could put them on quickly. She took one last look around and made sure Chloe was still looking at her own refelection. When the coast seemed clear, Beca dropped the towel and grabbed her underwear first. While the brunette was focused on balancing and getting her feet through, Chloe mischievously glanced over at her through the corner of her eye. Unlike Beca, the red head was skilled at not getting caught and when the track star looked back up, it appeared as though Chloe followed through with Beca's request.

Feeling a tad bit better, Beca started to put on her bra less hectically. Chloe waited for her window of opportunity to glance again and found it when the younger girl was focused on the clasp. Chloe smirked to herself and looked back at the mirror. _Not bad,_ she thought.

Beca finished getting dressed and started working on her hair at the sink neighboring Chloe's. The red head was now putting on her makeup. It was then that Beca realized Chloe hadn't had any makeup on the entire time. The track star honestly didn't even notice a difference. Chloe truly looked gorgeous either way.

Beca shook off the observation and focused on her hair. She had also forgot her curling iron, and was forced to wear her natural hair that was kind of straight but waved from the middle, down. Chloe had her curling iron, but Beca didn't want to bother her with another borrowing request. Instead, she chose to break the silence with small talk.

"So, you really do this _every_ morning?"

Chloe was now applying mascara, "Yep. Which by the way, I haven't asked you yet," she turned to face the brunette. "Why did you come so early?"

Beca kept a steady pace of looking at the red head and the mirror as she spoke, "I wanted to get a practice in before the track team tryouts today," she explained.

"Oh yeah!" Chloe exclaimed, turning back to the mirror to continue working on her eye makeup. "I would say 'good luck', but there's no way you won't make it."

Beca snickered, "What makes you say that?"

"You're a really good runner. They'd be dumb not to have you."

It was really nice to hear that from someone she hadn't even know long. And it kind of made her feel a bit giddy to know that that someone was Chloe. But Beca wasn't going to think about that, because Beca never gets giddy. It just simply wasn't her. But a compliment is a compliment, and the brunette can't help but smile.

"Thanks."

Chloe smiled sweetly in return, "You're welcome."

They continued getting themselves ready and Chloe was the first one to finish. She packed her things back into her cheer bag and started playing with her phone, waiting for the brunette to finish. Beca noticed this and looked at her,

"You don't have to wait for me."

Chloe looked up from her phone, "I know. But I want to," she smiled.

Beca felt a slight blush coming on, "Alright." She could hear other girls entering the locker room and she didn't want to keep Chloe waiting long, so she quickly finished her makeup and put everything back in her bags.

They finally exited the locker room and chatted a bit as they made their way to the main quad. School wasn't going to start for another half hour and Beca delighted in the idea of them hanging out until then. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Chloe took out her phone when a text message alert sounded. She read the message and sent a reply before returning her attention to Beca.

"Sorry, but I gotta go. Aubrey wants me to meet her in the computer lab for something."

Beca's face slightly fell, "Oh, okay."

Chloe was going to stick her phone back in her pocket but thought of something before she did.

"Oh! Hold on a second." She handed the device to Beca and smiled, "Here. Put your number in."

Beca smiled back, "Okay." She took the phone and inserted her number, then gave it back to the red head.

"Thanks," Chloe grinned, and threw Beca off when she pulled her in for a hug. The brunette had no time to react when it ended as quickly as it began. She watched the lively cheerleader wave goodbye,

"See you in Cooking!" she hollered, and continued to walk away.

It may have been quick and short contact between them, but Beca could still feel the red head's body lingering on her skin. Chloe Beale was like no one Beca had ever met before. Her presence made the track star's insides tingle and Beca would find herself feeling a bit sad when Chloe would leave. No one made Beca feel this way. The brunette was finding her emotions harder and harder to ignore the more time she spent with the red head. It was all so unfamiliar and also very terrifying.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: These two and showers! haha xD Not gonna lie, that was really fun to write.**

 **I really wanted to incorporate the shower stuff because I mean come on, Bechloe and showers go together like peanut butter and jelly. x)**

 **Stay tuned for more! :)**


	6. Passing Notes

**Author's 1st Note: I'm so sorry these updates are taking a while. I've been really busy with work lately, but I'm trying really hard to write and post as soon as I possibly can. Please bear with me.**

 **Also, I know it may feel like I'm taking forever with the story, but I just want to let you guys know it's because I have A LOT of things in store for future chapters. I wanted to make sure I had a realistic relationship development between Beca and Chloe before I get into the _really_ good stuff. ;) **

**So anyway, here's chapter 6! Hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

Beca sighed and plopped down on a nearby bench. She still had a decent of amount of time to buy before school started, so she pulled out her phone and decided to text Amy.

 ** _Beca:_** _"Hey Amy. You at school yet?"_

The brunette switched over to an app to play Solitaire while she waited for the Australian's reply. It didn't take the foreigner long and Beca's phone went off a few minutes after.

 ** _Amy:_** _"Leaving the house now. Y?"_

 ** _Beca:_** _"Meet me in the main quad."_

 ** _Amy:_** _"Kk"_

Beca figured she would listen to music until Amy arrived, so she untangled her earphones from her pocket and was about to plug them in when,

"Beca!"

 _Oh no._

The brunette cringed at the sound of her own name when she instantly recognized the voice. She turned around to face the person,

"Hi, Jesse," she deadpanned, and noticed Benji waving behind him. "Oh, hey Benji." She kind of felt bad her voice seemed nicer towards Benji than it was towards her new neighbor. Jesse sat down next to her, oblivious to her change of tone, but was caught off guard when she greeted his friend.

"Wait, you know Benji?" he asked.

"Yeah, we have Math and Cooking together."

Benji sat down in the small space left next to Jesse and nodded in agreement.

Jesse raised his eyebrows at Beca, "You're in Cooking? Huh...I never pictured you as a chef," he chuckled.

Beca tried not to take it offensively, but this wasn't the first time someone had made a similar comment. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

Jesse shrugged, "I don't know. You just have like a dark and rebellious kind of vibe going on." He gestured around with his hands for affect as he explained.

Beca narrowed her eyes, "Right." She remarked. Before she could say anything else, Benji stuck out his hand and smiled.

"Hi, Beca! I haven't gotten a chance to properly introduce myself." Beca chuckled a bit at the boy's enthusiasm and shook his hand.

"Hi, Benji." Even though he was equally as energetic as Jesse, maybe even a bit more, Beca found it much easier to tolerate him than her new neighbor.

"So how's Barden been so far?" Jesse asked.

 _Well I think I'm starting to really like this red head, who happens to be popular and a cheerleader, who I just saw naked in the shower ten minutes ago..._

"Fine, I guess," she shrugged.

Jesse was either oblivious to Beca's lack of response, or he just didn't care. Either way, her flat tone that followed most of the responses she gave him, didn't stop Jesse from continuing the conversation.

"Cool, cool. So, what's your favorite class so far?"

Beca couldn't help the immediate answer that popped into her mind; _Cooking..._

"I don't know. I don't have a favorite."

"Mine's Pre-Calculus," Benji chimed in. Beca snickered.

Of course it was.

"I would never have guessed that," she smirked, remembering how eager Benji was to answer all of the questions. He was definitely smart, Beca didn't remember him ever getting an answer wrong.

After chatting with the adorkable duo for a few minutes, Beca found the two puppies somewhat growing on her. Jesse was turning out to be not as obnoxious as Beca first thought he was. And Benji, well Benji was just too innocently sweet to not like.

Amy eventually arrived at school and texted Beca to find out where she was. After the brunette replied with her location, the blonde found the track star shortly after. She joined in on the trio's conversation and got into a story about how her morning had been; Starting with how she couldn't find her favorite underwear, and ending with being forced to eat her second favorite cereal because her most favorite ran out. It was a very fascinating tale.

The bell finally rang and the teenagers said their goodbyes, splitting off to go to their classes.

* * *

English wasn't so bad. Mr. Selby assigned them their first reading assignment of the year: "Lord of the Flies." Not many people knew, but Beca actually enjoyed reading, that is, if the book was capable of keeping her attention.

As the class progressed, Beca found herself subconsciously checking her phone. Amy noticed this and her curiosity got the better of her.

"Why do you keep looking at your phone?" the Australian asked.

Beca glanced over at Amy, then at her phone. Had she really been looking at it that much?

"Oh, uh– I don't know. I didn't even notice I was."

Amy scoffed, "Uh, yeah. Like every five minutes." She watched Beca's reaction. The brunette wasn't obvious with any gestures, but her cheeks turned a shade darker. Amy raised a brow, "You waiting for a text or something?"

Beca looked at her, "What? No." Her eyes were convincing, but the way her voice escalated, instantly blew her cover. Amy internally smirked. Beca was so lying, but the Australian decided to let it go.

"Alright." She resumed working on their worksheet as Beca bit the inside of her cheek, peeking at her phone once again.

Why would Chloe text her anyway? They were in school. She was probably focusing in class, like Beca should have been doing. The brunette shook off her anxiousness and tried to pay more attention to the lesson.

* * *

Second period came and went and the red head still hadn't made any contact. Beca couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. When third period started, Beca convinced herself that Chloe wasn't going to text her and just kept her phone in her pocket. That is, until it finally went off soon after the class had started and the track star embarrassingly jumped in her seat when the sudden vibration went off. She immediately opened the text from the unknown number:

 ** _Unknown:_** _"Heyy"_

Beca knew it was Chloe. It had to be. But just to make sure, Beca responded with the classic:

 ** _Beca:_** _"Who's this?"_

She tried not to get too excited just in case it wasn't the cheery red head, but continued to wait impatiently for the next few seconds. When it finally went off, Beca could feel her stomach knot and her cheeks slightly heat up when she read the reply.

 ** _Unknown:_** _"Your shower buddy ;)"_

Was she flirting with her? That comment _plus_ the winking face doesn't mean nothing, right? Could Chloe Beale actually be flirting with her? Beca's mind raced as she was not only still processing the text but also didn't know how to respond. It took her a few moments, but when she settled down, she smirked. Two could play at this game.

 ** _Beca:_** _"Hmm... I don't have a shower buddy._

 _But there_ ** _was_** _this red head who_

 _flaunted her junk to me this morning."_

Beca debated on adding a winking face as well, and eventually just said "fuck it", adding the symbol and pressing send. By this point both the track star and the cheerleader were completely oblivious to their classes and were caught up in their own private conversation, while simultaneously trying not to get caught.

 ** _Chloe:_** _"Flaunted huh? She must be_

 _pretty confident."_

 ** _Beca:_** _"Oh she is. Trust me."_

 ** _Chloe:_** _"Lol So how's class? What subject_

 _are you in?"_

 ** _Beca:_** _" I have History and I hate this_

 _subject. It's boring Hbu?"_

Beca didn't notice herself smiling every time the red head replied.

 ** _Chloe:_** _"Oh that sucks. I don't like history_

 _either. And I'm actually in your dad's class_

 _right now haha"_

Beca raised her brows at the new information. She knew Chloe had him for Chemistry, but she didn't know she had his class right before Cooking. The brunette snickered as she replied:

 ** _Beca:_** _"How scandalous. Texting your teacher's_

 _daughter while he tries to educate you. Shame_

 _on you Beale ;) "_

The track star enjoyed their witty banter. It was amusing and Beca could get away with a bit of flirting without being taken seriously. Chloe's replies were almost rhythmic, replying within a minute or two. When Beca noticed it was already going on eight minutes without a reply, the track star started to feel a bit worried.

What if she just took things too far? Did Chloe get offended by that? Why wasn't she replying? Maybe she didn't find it funny anymore. The negative theories raced in Beca's mind until the period ended. She found the walk to Cooking class a bit longer than usual, and she feared she would encounter an annoyed Chloe Beale.

* * *

The track star didn't do a very good job at hiding her worried expression and Amy noticed it as soon as the brunette sat down.

"Everything okay?" Amy asked, genuinely concerned.

Beca blinked, "What? Yeah, no. I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Amy narrowed her eyes a bit, "You sure? You seem worried about something." Beca really like Amy, but her ability to see through her was unwanted at the moment. The brunette gave her a fake, tight smile,

"No, I'm just tired. I woke up earlier than usual this morning so I could practice on the track," she explained, some what honestly.

Amy seemed to be buying it and widened her eyes, "Why?" She thought for a moment, then answered her own question, "Oh! You've got the tryouts today, huh?"

Beca nodded and the bell rang. She looked over, noticing that Chloe still hadn't shown up for class and her worries increased. What if she didn't come to class because she couldn't even look at Beca.

 _Oh my god... What have I done?_

Ms. Gail started the class and not two minutes into the lesson, Chloe burst through the door, panting, and accidentally caused a scene. Beca smiled in relief but caught herself and quickly dropped it, glancing at Amy to make sure she hadn't seen it.

"Chloe–" Ms. Gail started, but the red head cut her off as she walked to her seat.

"I know, I'm sorry Ms. Gail. I was held up in my last class." She huffed a strand of her hair out as she plopped down onto her seat, "It won't happen again."

"I hope not Miss Beale. Other wise I'd have to keep you in for lunch detention." After making her point, the teacher continued writing bullet points on the board. Beca looked at the red head, wondering why she still hadn't acknowledged the brunette. Instead, Chloe was focused on writing something in her notebook. Beca decided to let it go and payed attention to the board.

Her concentration was interrupted by the sound of paper slowly tearing. She peeked over at Chloe, who was trying her best to not make a lot of noise, but failed miserably.

"Will you just rip it already." Ms. Gail complained, still facing the board. Chloe looked up and giggled a bit, finally tearing the piece off completely. Beca watched as she folded it into a nice little square and quickly turned around to toss it in Beca's direction. Chloe winked at the brunette before turning back in her seat.

There was no way Amy hadn't seen their little interaction, but Beca was glad she didn't say anything about it. She opened the small note and smiled as she read what was inside:

 _Sorry I stopped replying earlier. Your_

 _dad busted me and took my phone. :(_

 _I have to go pick it up at lunch time._

 _It's okay though, I've always loved a good_

 _scandal. ;)"_

Beca grinned at the last part, looking up to see Chloe was already smirking at her and the brunette could feel goosebumps rising on her skin at the sight.

* * *

When the class ended, Beca was putting the last item back into her bag when the red head approached her.

"Hey, Bec." Beca looked up and smiled at the new nickname.

"Yeah what's up?"

Chloe bit her lip, "Uh, could you maybe come with me to get my phone?" She expressed an almost embarrassed grin and Beca couldn't comprehend how someone could look so adorable without even trying.

"Oh, uh, yeah sure," she furrowed her brow, "Can I ask why?"

Chloe shrugged, "I don't know. Your dad is kind of intimidating." Beca didn't know it, but the ginger was lying through her teeth. She secretly wasn't ready to part ways with the smaller brunette just yet.

Her reason made Beca laugh, " _My_ dad? Yeah right."

"I'm serious!" Chloe laughed.

Beca looked to Amy, "Hey do you mind if I take her to my dad's class real quick?"

The Australian was glaring at Bumper as he exited the room and snapped her eyes back to Beca when she realized the track star was talking to her.

"What? No, it's cool. You know where we'll be."

After getting all of their things together, the girls exited the class. Amy headed for their usual lunch spot while Beca and Chloe made their way to Mr. Mitchell's room.

"Is it weird that I don't even know where my dad's classroom is?" Beca asked.

Chloe shook her head, "I don't think so. Is it weird that your dad is my Chemistry teacher?"

Beca playfully grinned and scrunched her nose in an unintentionally cute way, "Maybe a little bit."

Chloe chuckled, "Why is it weird?"

 _Because I like you..._

Beca shrugged, "Cause we're friends."

Chloe stopped and raised a brow, "So we're friends now?"

 _Shit._

Beca started to panic. Were they not friends? She didn't mean to say the wrong thing.

The brunette widened her eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't– I-I just thought that we were. It's cool if we're not. I mean–"

Chloe burst out in laughter and placed her hands on the rambling brunette's shoulders to calm her down.

"Beca! I was just kidding! Of course we're friends." Her laughter died down and turned into a giggle. Beca gaped at her.

"Not cool, Beale." She muttered, and prayed the red head couldn't tell how embarrassed she was. Chloe moved her hands and interlocked their arms, continuing their walk to Mr. Mitchell's class.

"I'm sorry, but that was just too easy."

Beca gulped when it finally processed in her mind how close they were. She fought against the blush that was threatening to appear and managed to do so the rest of the way. When they got to the classroom, Beca was disappointed knowing this meant they now had to separate, and did so before entering.

"Hi, Mr. Mitchell." Chloe smiled. The teacher looked up from his desk, prepared to greet the red head, but was surprised when he saw his daughter walking in behind her.

"Beca? What are you doing here?"

Chloe replied for her, "She's just being a good friend and came with me to pick up my phone." Beca narrowed her eyes at the girl for the comment, considering what just happened in the hallway not moments ago.

Mr. Mitchell stood up from his desk and stuck his hands in his pockets, "Oh, is that right?" He had to admit it was nice knowing his daughter was making new friends.

Chloe flashed a guilty smile, "Yeah. Which by the way, I'm sorry for texting in your class."

Mr. Mitchell calmly opened his desk drawer and took out her cell phone, handing it to her. "Don't let it happen again."

Chloe smiled, gladly taking her phone back, "It won't. Thank you," she smiled, then looked at Beca. "Alright, let's go."

Beca awkwardly smiled, "See you at home, Dad." He nodded in response and watched the two teenagers leave his room.

"Thanks for coming with me." Chloe grinned, "Not that you had a choice," she winked.

Beca chuckled, "Anytime, Beale."

 _No but seriously, anytime._

They made their way to the quad and Beca slightly frowned when Chloe reminded her that they weren't going to be spending lunch together.

"Alright," Chloe sighed, "I guess this is where we part ways."

 _I mean, we don't have to,_ Beca thought.

The brunette snickered, "Don't miss me too much." She was becoming more and more confident when it came to talking to the cheerleader. Well, to an extant.

Chloe laughed, "I'll try." She wrapped her arm around the smaller brunette and pulled her in for a genuine hug. Beca wasn't caught off guard as much as had been the first time and really enjoy this second blessing. The track star had to tip toe a bit to get her chin over the red head's shoulder, and was met with wonderfully smelling hair.

Chloe smiled as they reluctantly pulled apart, "Good luck at tryouts."

Beca smiled back, "Thanks." And with that, the red head was gone. Beca sighed as she watched the cheerleader blend in with the crowd and eventual disappear from the track star's line of sight. She met up with Amy, Lily and Ashley and the four of them spent the rest of lunch together.

* * *

Beca's foot uncontrollably tapped as she watched the clock with anticipation, waiting for the the last minute of her fifth period class to end. She bit her lip as the big hand struck the last five seconds. Then thankfully, it finally rang. The brunette sprang from her chair and eagerly made her way down to the locker room to change.

Beca started changing by the shower stalls, and took her time as she occasionally looked around for a familiar red head. Her mood slightly dropped when Chloe never showed, and Beca couldn't help but wonder why. She finished her change in attire by tying her hair back into a ponytail and left the locker room.

* * *

Once on the track, Beca dropped her bags near the bleachers and pulled out her water bottle. She looked around and noticed a couple of students huddled around a man with a clip board in his hand. She assumed he was the coach running the tryouts. The track star waited behind a few of her peers until she finally reached the tall man and had to crane her neck upward a bit to look at him.

"Uh, hi. My name is Beca Mitchell. I'm here to try out for the track team."

He nodded, "Alright. How do you spell your name?" The man wrote down the letters as Beca said them, then re-wrote her name on a big white sticker. "Here ya go," he said, handing her the sticker, which she saw not only had her name on it, but also a big number five.

"Thanks," she said, smiling since five happened to be her favorite number.

"The try outs will start in–" he looked at his watch, "fifteen minutes."

Beca nodded, "Okay." She walked back over to her bags and decided to get some stretches in before they started. She only made it to her third stretch when,

"Becaw!"

Beca sighed and closed her eyes. She knew exactly who was behind her.

"Hey, Becaw!" Jesse repeated as he came around to her front, "Are you trying out for track too?!"

Beca gave a tight smile and dropped the leg she was stretching, "Yeah. That's kind of why I'm dressed like this." She gestured to her obvious workout attire and Jesse just innocently nodded in agreement.

"That's awesome! Me too!" Beca couldn't hold back her snicker,

"You like running?"

"Heck yeah! I've been on the team since freshman year," he explained.

"Wow. That's–" she furrowed her brow, "impressive." Beca knew Barden's sport's teams were known for being successful and strong, so he had to be good.

"Thanks," he smiled.

"Hey guys!" Beca and Jesse turned to see Benji approaching them with a wide smile.

Jesse smiled back, "Hey man!" He greeted his friend with a dorky handshake that ended with them in a pretend lightsaber battle. "Came here to watch me kick some ass?" Jesse asked, making Beca laugh on the inside.

"Of course! And wanted to wish you good luck before you started." He looked at Beca, "Oh, and you too," he grinned.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Alright, well, I'll be sitting up there." Benji gestured to a spot amongst the top of the bleachers where Beca recognized Emily smiling and waving at them. After seeing them together so much, Beca wondered wether or not they were just friends or boyfriend and girlfriend. If it was the latter, Beca gave Benji props, because Emily was definitely a cutie.

The curly haired boy waved goodbye and made his way to his seat. Beca looked at Jesse,

"Well I wasn't finished stretching. Wanna stretch with me?"

Jesse grinned, "Sure." Just as Beca leant forward to touch her toes, another voice suddenly called out her name, and she smiled widely.

"Look who's stalking who now." Beca smirked, turning to face the grinning red head.

Chloe laughed, "Takes one to know one."

The track star smiled but then furrowed her brow when she noticed Chloe was still wearing her regular clothes. "What are you doing here? Don't you have practice?" she asked.

Chloe made a face, "Trying to get rid of me already?" she teased.

Beca shrugged, "I mean..." Chloe gasped and playfully hit her arm. "Ow! You're so violent." Beca joked, dramatically rubbing her arm.

"Well I'll have you know, I don't have practice on Fridays," the red head stated. That certainly explained why Beca hadn't seen her in the locker room.

"Oh, nice. So, are you just headed home then?" she asked, gesturing over her shoulder with her thumb.

Chloe shook her head, "Nope. I came to watch you." She smiled, triggering the the butterflies in Beca's stomach to flutter uncontrollably.

Chloe came to watch her? That was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for Beca. But why? Sure they were friends, but the track star couldn't comprehend how someone could be that selfless and nice to someone they just met. Then again, this _was_ Chloe Beale and she was definitely unlike any other girl Beca had ever met before.

The brunette was tired of being a blushing idiot, but once again, Chloe had managed to make Beca's insides tingle, and her cheeks burn.

"Oh...r-really?" she asked, knowing the red head didn't seem like the lying type, but it was almost just too good to be true.

Chloe grinned, "Yeah. I brought Aubrey and Stacie too," she pointed to another side of the bleachers and Beca looked up at the two girls she recognized from Billy's. Stacie smiled and waved while Aubrey just kept her arms crossed.

Beca snickered, "I don't think the blonde one likes me very much."

"Don't worry about her. She can take a little getting use to, but she's a really good person."

Beca amusingly nodded, "If you say so." Chloe giggled and gave the smaller girl a quick hug.

"Alright, well, good luck!" she cheered and headed up the bleachers to join her friends.

Beca chuckled, "Bye."

"Do you like her?"

The question basically smacked Beca across the face and she quickly turned around with wide eyes.

"What?" It was almost a shriek.

Jesse laughed, "I'll take that as a yes."

"What are you talking about?" Beca nervously asked.

The boy shrugged, "I don't know, you like lit up when she was here," he pointed to her cheeks and goofily grinned, "Plus that blush you've got going on is a dead give away."

Beca immediately brought her hand up to her cheek and turned away, "Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about." No way. There was no way her secret was out already. What was it with everyone's observation skills around here?

The track star was too into her thoughts to notice Jesse coming up behind her,

"Don't worry," he smiled, "your secret's safe with me."

* * *

Chloe sat down between her friends and placed her bag on her lap.

"She likes you."

Chloe looked at Stacie, "What?"

The tall girl gestured towards Beca, "The brunette. She likes you."

Chloe scoffed, "What? No."

"Oh yes she does. Trust me." Stacie noted the way Chloe suddenly looked at Beca and gaped, "Oh my God..." her dropped jaw turned into a grin, "You like her too!"

This caught Aubrey's attention, "What?"

Chloe snapped her eyes back and forth between her two friends, "N-No I don't!"

"You're such a liar." Stacie teased and shrugged, "It's okay if you do ya know. I don't blame you. She's pretty hot."

Chloe could feel herself getting overwhelmed with many different emotions; Nervousness, embarrassment, defensiveness, confusion. _Did_ she like Beca? Chloe definitely liked Beca's 'wanna-be-badass' attitude but also enjoyed bringing out the adorable side of her. And Chloe _did_ think Beca was attractive. But did that mean she liked her? Maybe she did and maybe Stacie was right. It _was_ okay to like Beca. Why wouldn't it be?

"Um, no it's not." Aubrey pointed out, "Did you forget she has a boyfriend, Stace?"

Oh, yeah. That's why.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: _Whoop_ , there it is...**

 **Let the drama BEGIN!**


	7. Tryouts

**Author's 1st Note: I'm insensitive. I'm irresponsible. I know. Let me know on Tumblr how much you hate me for updating so late. xP**

 **Also, the story has been mostly from Beca's point of view, but this chapter has some of Chloe's POV as well. I think I'm going to be including her more throughout the story, so you guys can also see and understand what she's feeling.**

 **Now, without further ado, I hope you like the chapter! :)**

* * *

"Oh shit. That's right." Stacie remembered, and looked to Chloe, "How are you and Tom anyway? I feel like the only time we see him now is at lunch."

Stacie had a point. Chloe and Tom had been friends for a while and started officially dating sometime during their Junior year. Tom had become the quarterback and Chloe was on the cheer squad. A cheerleader dating a football player, cliché wasn't it? But Chloe liked clichés and more importantly, she really liked Tom. They were almost the perfect couple. They got along great and they always had fun together no matter what they did.

Unfortunately as time went on, Chloe found herself slowly drifting away from Tom and wanting to spend less and less time with him. She couldn't explain why, but things just weren't feeling the same between them. She wasn't sure what had changed in her and Chloe feared her feelings were one sided.

Then she met Beca Mitchell. Chloe hadn't expected the brunette to grow on her as fast as she did, but there was just something about the younger girl that intrigued the ginger. Chloe found herself wanting to not only spend more time with Beca, but also wanting to dive in and learn more about the mystery behind her.

Chloe wasn't one hundred percentage sure about her feelings towards Beca and was hoping it was just a crush or a quick fascination that wouldn't last long. Chloe wasn't ready to break up with Tom just yet. She wanted to see if her drifting was just a phase and that maybe she would find her way back to him. But mostly, Chloe really didn't want to hurt him. He was a nice guy and they were good friends. Chloe never liked the idea of hurting anybody's feelings, especially those belonging to people she cared about.

"Chloe?"

The redhead snapped out of her intense thoughts and faked a smile,

"Oh, we're good." She shrugged, "We've just been busy with stuff, ya know?" Chloe was very good at hiding her true feelings about things, but Aubrey was just as good as seeing through the ginger's facades.

"What stuff?" the blonde asked, raising a brow.

"Just–" Chloe thought fast, "school stuff. We just started the year and we're both in a sport, so we've just been a little occupied." Her explanation was pretty honest, and it wasn't like she avoided Tom, but she had to admit she also didn't make much of an effort to see him like she used to.

Aubrey slightly narrowed her eyes. She believed Chloe's reasoning, but the blonde still wasn't convinced Chloe didn't like Beca.

"Okay. And you're sure you don't like this 'Beca' girl?"

Chloe mustered up another convincing smile, "I'm sure."

But was she?

* * *

"Look, Jesse, I know I don't really know you, and believe me, this is _so_ not like me but–" Beca glanced up at the redhead then looked back at her neighbor, "please don't say anything. To anyone." Her voice was an interesting combination of stern and threatening, but also kind of scared.

"I told you," Jesse smiled genuinely, "your secret's safe with me." He spoke earnestly, trying to convince the smaller brunette that he was trustworthy.

Beca nervously chewed the inside of her cheek. Trusting people easily was not one of her strong suits, but he figured out her secret and there was nothing she could do to change that. It did ease her a bit when she realized her secret could have been outed to someone worse, and Jesse didn't really seem like the gossiping type anyway.

She stopped chewing, "I hope so." Jesse just gave her a playful smirk in return and after they finished stretching, they joined the group of students gathering together at the one side of the track. The coach called everyone to huddle around him and started explaining how the tryouts were going to play out.

"Alright, people. Listen up." He flipped over one of the papers on his clipboard and spoke without removing his eyes from it, "We're going to start with sprints. Five of you will be running at a time." He flipped the first page back over and called out the first five names he saw, "Kolio Rio, Donald Ambudkar, Flo Fuentes, Luke Stroma, and Beca Mitchell. Let's go, you guys are up first."

Beca took a deep breath and released it before she left Jesse's side and headed over to the starting line.

"Good luck!" Jesse smiled, walking off the track and waited anxiously to see how she would perform.

* * *

"Oh, look!" Chloe pointed towards the smaller brunette, "Beca's gonna run." She smiled, trying to get her friend's attentions so they could watch as well.

Aubrey glared suspiciously at the redhead.

* * *

After being instructed to take the fifth lane, Beca could feel herself getting a bit nervous. Her hands were sweaty and her heart pounded to an unfamiliar rhythm. Beca never felt nervous when she ran. She always knew she would do well, but this time, she wanted to be beyond impressive since she knew a certain redhead would be watching.

"Okay guys, this is just a one hundred meter dash. You're going to sprint as fast as you can down the track until you pass that cone over there." He pointed towards a small, orange traffic cone that stood at the other end, then he looked back at the students, "I'm going to be standing there. You start when I blow my whistle." He turned to leave, but suddenly spun back around, "And Luke," he pointed to the blonde boy standing in the lane next to Beca's, "I expect you to beat your tryout time from last year."

Luke gave a smug grin, "Of course, coach."

The coach turned back around and continued to walk down the track. Beca glanced at the boy. She was surprised to hear an English accent in his voice and wondered how he came to attend Barden. Beca assumed the coach's comment to him meant Luke was on the track team last year, which lead her to assume he must also be a good runner. It didn't matter however; Beca's ego returned when she peeked up at Chloe and smirked, confident that she was about to beat out her fellow runners.

Beca let out a breath as she watched the coach bring up the whistle to his mouth. He eventually blew it, and as soon as the high pitched sound rang in the air, Beca bolted from the starting point.

"Woo! Go, Beca!" Chloe shouted.

The brunette could hear the redhead cheering for her and grinned when it appeared she was in the lead. Suddenly, about half way, Beca could hear someone's panting getting louder and louder from behind, as they gained on her. Within a second they were in front of her. Beca was giving it all she had and was stunned someone was even faster. There wasn't much distance left, but Chloe was watching. Beca pushed herself as far as she could, but unfortunately it still wasn't enough.

Luke passed the cone first, then Beca, just two seconds short. She slowed down and dropped forward, gripping onto her knees for support. It took her a few moments to catch her breath and she couldn't believe she just lost. Even though she knew it wasn't really a competition, Beca still wanted to impress Chloe and show off her skills.

"How was that, Coach?" Luke smirked, approaching the taller man.

"Better." He said, simply. "Keep that up all year."

The blonde boy grinned, "You got it."

The coach scribbled a few things onto his paper and directed them to head back down to the starting point and wait for the next test. Beca didn't want to look up at Chloe as she passed the bleachers, feeling a bit ashamed that she didn't cross the line first, but Beca had no choice when the ginger called down to her.

"Good job, Beca!"

The brunette looked up to see a grinning and clapping Chloe. Stacie was also smiling, but Beca wasn't surprised to see Aubrey looked unamused. Beca smiled back and waved, acknowledging the cheery redhead and continued her way to the end of the track.

"Wow! You're pretty fast!" Jesse exclaimed as she approached him. Beca chuckled a bit at his enthusiasm,

"Thanks." She glanced over at Luke and gestured toward him with a nod, "Not as fast as him though."

Jesse looked at him, "Yeah, that's Luke. He's been our star runner since freshman year. No one has been able to beat him at our school."

"Really..." Beca muttered, mostly just speaking her thoughts out loud.

"Yeah. You're actually the only person I know to finish that closely behind him."

Beca focused on the blonde boy and crossed her arms as the wheels in her brain started to turn,

"Interesting."

Maybe it was time this school had a new track star.

* * *

Beca watched Jesse when it was finally his turn to run, and was impressed to find that he was pretty good. He finished first in his group and celebrated with a momentary victory dance. Benji's loud cheering for his friend didn't go unnoticed and Beca looked up at him and Emily having a little celebration of their own.

Once everyone had a chance to run in the hundred meter dash, their next task was the long distance sprint. Instead of sprinting for only one hundred meters, this category required the runners to sprint for a full lap around the track. Beca found herself feeling a bit nervous once again, when she realized they had to run in the same groups as the pervious race; Which unfortunately meant she had to race against Luke. Again.

Beca noticed she was doubting herself and replaced her unnecessary ambiguity with her usual confidence. She narrowed her eyes on the track, steadied her breathing and prepared her body for the workout it was about to endure.

The coach blew the whistle and Beca, along with the rest of the runners, took off. Beca kept her focus on the task at hand and moved her legs as fast as they could go. All she could hear was her heart thumping in her ears and her raspy breath panting in a timed rhythm. She thought she had the lead, but was once again passed by the grievously talented Luke. She found herself very frustrated when he finished before her. Again.

On the up side, nothing fueled Beca's competitive nature better than frustration. She was going to make it her mission to beat out Luke before the school year was over.

* * *

After the four hundred meter dash, came hurdles. Beca had never been fond of hurdles since she had legs the length of a twelve year old's. There was only one lane set up with hurdles, so everyone took turns running them by themselves. Beca stood next to Jesse when Luke was called up for his turn.

"I'm guessing he's great at this too?" Beca muttered, making Jesse chuckle.

"Yeah, Luke's one of those guys where everything just kind of works out for him."

Beca smirked, "You're not one of those guys, are you?" She teased.

"Not even a little," he quipped and Beca couldn't help but laugh.

The whistle blew and they all watched as Luke jumped over the obstacles with ease. He finished with an impressive time, of course, and walked back; enjoying the praise he recieved from his fellow peers. Beca was also impressed, but there was no way she would let him know that. He was competition, and she wasn't about to fuel his egotistical fire.

It was now Beca's turn, and she tightened her ponytail as she made her way to the beginning of the hurdles. Usually the height of the hurdles was altered according to gender, but since these were just for the tryouts, the hurdles stayed at the height designated for women. Beca lined herself up and waited for the coach's whistle. She took a quick glimpse towards Chloe, getting an extra 'umph' in her system when she was reminded of who she was showing off for. The whistle blew and Beca took off in an instant.

She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she almost stumbled on the fourth hurdle when the tip her right foot tapped the top of the hurdle as she came down. Thankfully, she quickly recovered and finished the last two with no problems.

* * *

"Wow," Chloe thought out loud, "She's good."

"Yeah she is." Stacie agreed, "And her calves looked great coming down from those jumps."

Chloe wanted to make a dirty comment about how great the rest of Beca's toned little body looked, but she bit her lip in restraint. Her friends, nor anybody else for that matter, didn't need to know about the events that took place in the showers that morning.

"Stacie! Don't encourage her!" Aubrey warned.

Stacie furrowed her brow in annoyance, "What?"

Chloe decided to jump in before Aubrey could snap back,

"Hey, don't." She looked at Aubrey, "Beca is just a friend, alright? That's all."

 _Are you sure about that?_ Chloe's guilty conscience threw in.

* * *

The last category the students had to perform was a timed mile. Endurance was luckily Beca's specialty. All the years she spent running mile after mile, just to escape from the world, really paid off. She looked forward to seeing if she could out last Luke this time. All of the students lined up to run the final course together. Jesse readied himself next to Beca and she spoke without taking her eyes off of the track,

"Good luck keeping up with me," she grinned.

Jesse chuckled, "Challenge accepted."

The race started and Luke quickly took the lead. He held the position for most of the run, with Beca just behind him. But when the last lap began, Beca was surprised to see him slowing down and proudly passed him. She smiled when she was sure she heard a familiar "Woo!" come from the bleachers.

As Beca turned the second to last corner, the brunette found herself getting tired, but she was use to this. Her technique back at her old school was running a generally fast pace throughout the entire mile. She would always find herself getting tired by the last lap, but this was how she won all of her other races before. All she had to do was keep herself steady at the same rate. Going any slower was definitely not an option, but Beca also couldn't go any faster if she wanted to. Her energy was depleting.

She turned the last corner and saw the finish line ahead. She did it. She was going to beat Luke. Even though it still wasn't a competition, but Beca found that fact hard to remember. Her chest tightened with pain with every breath she took, but the smile remained on her face as her destination grew closer and closer.

And then she heard him.

 _No way._

Out of no where Luke flew by her in a rapid sprint and crossed the finish line five whole seconds before her. In the track world, that was a huge difference.

"How the hell–?" Beca panted.

Luke grinned at her, "Not bad–" he squinted his eyes, trying to read her sticker, "Becky?"

"It's Beca," she plainly replied, still stunned at how he managed to beat her. Yet again.

"Oh..." he said, "Well, not bad. No one's ever been that close to me before."

Beca knew his compliment was genuine, but her frustration and ego levels were too elevated to reply with anything other than a cocky response.

"Just wait," she grinned, "I'm going to be the one who beats you someday."

Luke smirked at her comment, amused,

"That's a lot of big talk coming from such a small girl."

Beca was about to retort, but was cut off when she felt a strong hand grip onto the back of her shoulder.

"Dang, Beca! I was so close to passing you!"

Beca turned to face Jesse, who's cheeks were bright red and glistened with sweat. She laughed,

"Yeah, okay. Sure you were."

The exhausted boy picked up her sarcasm, "Hey! I was!" he toyed.

Beca turned her head to look back at Luke, but the blonde had already left and now stood next to the coach, watching as the rest of the runners finished their mile. Beca chatted with Jesse until the mile eventually ended and the coach called everyone to him.

"Alright, guys. That was some great effort out there today. I will be posting the results on the gym doors, Monday morning." He scanned their bright red faces, "Now go home, enjoy the weekend, and I will be seeing some of you again next week. Thanks, guys." He turned on his heel and made his way back down to his office.

"So are you going to Billy's tonight?"

Beca looked at Jesse confused, "Huh?"

"It's like a tradition. Most of us hang out at Billy's on Fridays. You going?" he smiled.

Beca shrugged and shook her head, "I guess not. I didn't even know about it." Jesse's smile didn't falter,

"Well you wanna come with me? I'm meeting Benji and Emily there."

Beca thought about her options. She could say no, and then be stuck in her new home with nothing to do. Or, she could say yes and have some fun socializing, even if it _was_ with her exuberant new neighbor. One choice definitely out weighed the other.

"Sure." She tried not to seem so excited about it and managed to maintain her cool.

Jesse's smile widened, "Alright, cool! Well go get your things and come meet me down in the garage. My stuff's already in my car."

Beca was surprised, "You have a car?"

"Yep. It's a blue Toyota. You can't miss it."

Beca raised a brow, "It's not a Prius is it?"

Jesse laughed, "No, it's a Camry. It's a few years old and perviously owned, but it still works like a charm."

Beca smiled, "Alright, sounds good. I'll meet you there in a sec." Jesse nodded and turned to head down to the garage. Beca walked over to her bags and took out her water bottle. She downed the refreshing liquid but almost choked on it when Chloe came up from behind her.

"Hey! Great job out there."

Beca turned, and quickly wiped the water that spilled over her mouth when she removed the bottle faster than she would have liked. Chloe chuckled, adding to Beca's embarrassment, but the brunette managed to reply anyway.

"Thank you," she smiled.

Stacie and Aubrey stood beside the redhead and Stacie agreed,

"Yeah, you're really good. I'm pretty sure you'll make the team."

Beca grinned, "Thanks. I hope so." She was use to getting compliments about her running from the students at her last school, but for some reason, it meant a lot more hearing it from her peers here at Barden; Especially Chloe.

The girls looked awkwardly to Aubrey, who was expected to say something as well. The stubborn blonde finally spoke up but kept her arms crossed.

"Yeah, you were alright."

Beca narrowed her eyes, "Thanks," she muttered.

Chloe was disappointed in her best friend, but decided to ignore her.

"It was more than alright. It was awesome," the redhead gleamed, reassuring Beca that she did well.

Beca smiled and nodded, "Well thank you for coming to watch me. That was really nice of you." _In fact, I think I_ ** _really_** _like you now. No one's ever done that for me before; Shit, I hope I'm not blushing..._

"You're welcome." Chloe smiled, that brilliant smile that triggered the butterflies in Beca's stomach to start fluttering. They shared a moment when light blue eyes met dark, and their gaze was held together by a force that couldn't be explained. It was unfortunately cut short when Aubrey pulled on Chloe's arm.

"Alright, you saw her run. Now let's go."

Chloe came out of her mesmerized state and frowned at her friend,

"Aubrey," she snapped, pulling her arm back, "don't be rude."

Beca kept her eyebrows raised and her mouth shut as she watched the two girls begin to heat up. Stacie, however, looked as though she was use to it.

"I'm not being rude! You wanted me to come here and support your new little friend, instead of going to hangout like we usually do on Fridays. Well I did my part. Now let's go."

Chloe couldn't believe her. She knew Aubrey had her 'not so nice' moments, but Chloe had never seen her be this negative towards one of her new friends before. The stunned redhead blinked, and it took her a few seconds to formulate words.

"Just wait for me in the car." She said firmly, "I'll be there in a minute."

Aubrey rolled her eyes, "Fine." She grabbed Stacie's wrist and the tall girl yelped when Aubrey yanked her away. Chloe looked at Beca with apologetic eyes,

"I'm so sorry about that. I don't know what her problem is."

Beca shrugged it off. She honestly didn't care what obnoxious blonde thought about her. The only opinion that mattered to Beca was Chloe's.

"It's cool. I can handle her. I've dealt with worse girls at my old school." Beca was happy to see her comment made the redhead chuckle. She definitely preferred Chloe's smile over her frown.

"Even so, I still don't think that was okay. I'm going to have a talk with her about it later."

"Seriously, you don't have to." Beca reassured.

"No, I want to."

An awkward silence fell between them when neither girl really knew what to say next. Beca didn't like the uncomfortable feeling and broke the tension.

"Well I know you gotta get going so–" Beca slightly moved forward to hug the redhead but stopped herself, and the ginger looked at her confused. "I mean, I would hug you, but–" she looked down at herself, "I'm like all sweaty and gross." This time Chloe full on laughed.

"You're cute." She said, before she pulled Beca in anyway and gave her a tight hug. Chloe was unaware of how she dazed the smaller brunette, not only for her comment, but for her sudden and surprising gesture. "But that doesn't really bother me." She finished, her chin over Beca's shoulder as she spoke. She separated herself from the girl, and this time, Chloe noticed Beca's blush and couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation in her own stomach.

 _Uh-oh..._

Chloe's nerves suddenly started to build up when she recognized what that tingle meant. She quickly swallowed them down and gave Beca a tight smile.

"Alright, I gotta go now." She reluctantly turned away and took a few steps before looking back, "I'll see you around." She gently waved and Beca waved back with a smile,

"Bye, Chloe."

The redhead turned back the other way and continued down to Aubrey's car. She chewed on her bottom lip as she struggled with the back and forth thoughts that raced in her mind. She knew she was starting to really like Beca, in a way she shouldn't be, and Chloe wasn't really sure what she was going to do about it.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Awh, shit. You sound like you're in a real pickle there, Chlo. xD**

 **Let me know what you guys thought! Stay tuned! :)**


	8. Complications

**Author's 1st Note: Yay! That wasn't too long, was it?**

 **I gotta say I'm actually really proud of myself. I've typed this entire chapter, half of last chapter, and even these Author's Notes with just one hand! Why you ask? Well,**

 **FUN FACT: I sprained my wrist pretty bad and I've been wearing a sling for about a week and a half now. But that won't stop me! xD**

 **As always, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. :)**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

Once Chloe was out of Beca's line of sight, the brunette released an audible sigh and grabbed her bags. When she got to the garage, Beca could hear one of the cars blasting "Trumpets" from the inside. The brunette strolled over to the active car and snickered when she titled her head and saw Jesse hopping up and down in the driver's seat, tapping his hands on the steering wheel in tune with the beat. She felt kind of bad she had to interrupt his little party session, but tapped on the passenger side window anyway.

Jesse jumped when she startled him and he immediately lowered the music. He smiled when he saw it was her and unlocked the door. Beca opened it and shoved her bags onto the seat first, readjusting them so they were comfortably between her legs when she sat down.

"So you like this song, huh?" Beca smirked and gestured to the radio.

Jesse shrugged, "Yeah, it's alright." He shifted the car and backed out of the parking space. He kept his face forward, but glanced at Beca through the corner of his eye. "I'm not, like, obsessed with it or anything."

Beca was quick to catch his playfulness and snickered,

"Hey, it's cool. I don't blame you. It's got a catchy beat."

Jesse noticed the way her fingers tapped on her knee, in sync with the song, and he grinned, slowly raising the volume back up.

"You can join me if you want." He smiled, and before Beca could question what he meant, Jesse suddenly started singing enthusiastically to the song.

 _"–_ _And the trumpets, they go!"_

Jesse mimicked the sounds of the trumpets that played during the chorus and Beca couldn't help but smile at the entertaining boy before her. She was also surprised to find he had a really nice singing voice. The short car ride was a continuance of Jesse's whimsical performances, which increased in energy when the song "Fun" came on. Beca secretly wanted to sing along, but resisted the urge and stuck to following along in her head.

* * *

They pulled up in Jesse's driveway and parked. Beca struggled to get her duffle bag out and fell over when it finally popped out.

"Woah!" she yelped, stumbling backwards and then falling onto the grass. Jesse hastily came around the car,

"You alright? Here." He extended his hand to help the smaller brunette up, but Beca ignored it.

"I'm fine," she muttered and pushed herself back up.

Jesse tittered, "You don't accept help very often, do you?"

Beca brushed the grass off of her backside, "Nope."

Jesse just shook his head with a tight smile, "Alright, well I'm gonna go shower and get ready. I'm sure you wanna go get cleaned up too, so, wanna meet back here in–" he checked the time on his phone, "an hour?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

Jesse smiled, "Cool. See ya then." He spun around and strolled into his house. Beca crossed lawns and made her way to her home, having to drop her bags so she could unlock the front door. She was kind of glad her father wasn't home yet, knowing he would probably stop her actions to ask her about her day and where she was going. Sure he was just being a caring father, but Beca had never been a fan of his twenty questions.

Beca went straight to her room and tossed her bags by her bed. She had only unpacked and organize about half of her clothes, so she went through her limited options and settled for a grey, long sleeved v-cut shirt, dark skinny jeans and black combat boots. Beca then headed for her bathroom and took a quick shower. She wanted to make sure she was quick, partly because she wanted to be ready in time, but mostly because she didn't want to give herself a chance to think about what had happened the last time she was in a shower that day.

* * *

Beca swiftly got dressed and heard her father come through the front door as she started to curl her hair. The brunette didn't get far before she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Bec?"

The track star grabbed another strand of hair and wrapped it around the iron when she responded.

"Yeah, dad. Come in."

Mr. Mitchell opened the door and poked his head in first before fully stepping in.

"Hey," he noticed she was getting ready to go somewhere and asked the question Beca knew she would eventually be asked, "Where are you going?"

Beca sighed, "Billy's." She answered, simply, keeping her eyes on the mirror as she continued to curl her hair.

Mr. Mitchell's brow knitted, "Who's Billy?"

Beca chuckled at his assumption and stopped curling to look at him,

"It's a burger place, dad. Apparently everyone hangs out there a lot, so." She shrugged at the end of her sentence and went back to finishing her hair.

"Oh..." Mr. Mitchell leaned against the doorframe and stuck his hands in his pockets. It was nice knowing Beca didn't seem to have a problem making new friends so far, which reminded him, "Are you going to hang out with Chloe?"

"What?" Beca yelped, dropping the iron. She quickly picked it back up, making sure not to burn herself, and calmed herself down before looking at her father again. "Why would you ask that?"

Mr. Mitchell hadn't really picked up on his daughter's new flustered state and just shrugged.

"I don't know. You guys came into my class all 'buddy-buddy' during lunch today to get her phone. I just thought that maybe that's who you were going to hangout out with."

Her father had a point. It was only natural for him to conclude that and assume it was Chloe she was going to go see.

Beca relaxed, "Oh..." She curled another piece of hair, "Well, no. I'm actually gonna hang out with that Jesse kid from next door and his friends."

Mr. Micthell smiled, mostly in surprise, "Really? I thought he annoyed you?"

Beca shrugged, "He's alright." She finished curling the last strand of hair and moved on to her make-up.

Mr. Mitchell was glad to see Beca was warming up to Jesse. He really did seem like a nice kid, and Mr. Mitchell thought his energy and positive attitude would be good for Beca.

Her father nodded, pleased, "Well alright then," he smiled at his daughter, who was now applying eyeliner, "I hope you have fun."

"Thanks, dad." Beca was too focused on her reflection to notice that her father placed a twenty dollar bill on top of the drawer before he left. It wasn't until she finished getting ready that she saw it, collecting her cellphone and keys that laid beside it. Beca smiled, mentally thanking her generous father again. She grabbed the money, along with her jean jacket and exited the room.

* * *

Beca listened to her music while she waited by Jesse's car. She hadn't waited long before the boy appeared out of his front door and smiled widely as he approached her. Beca removed an earphone in time to hear him speak.

"You ready?" He asked. Beca nodded with a small smile, "Then let's go!" He unlocked the car and they both hopped inside. Beca had a request that she felt was a little too much to ask, but she had been listening to a very good song before Jesse came out and she didn't get to finish it. So, Beca decided to ask anyway.

"Hey, can I plug in my iPhone this time?"

Jesse looked at her, "Yeah, sure," he smiled, and handed her the auxiliary cord.

"Really?" She grinned, taking the cord, "Thanks."

"Of course." He replied, starting the car, "I love hearing other people's music." He pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.

"Cool." Beca was glad to know how laid back he seemed to be with music. Not everyone appreciated Beca's taste in music, or so that's how she felt. She played the song and together they made their way to Billy's.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chloe had made it down to Aubrey's car and sat in the back seat since Stacie took shotgun. Aubrey said nothing when the redhead entered and reached for the gear shift to drive off.

"Aubrey, wait." Chloe just needed to get it over with. She didn't enjoy arguing with her best friend, but she also really didn't appreciate Aubrey's attitude towards Beca. The brunette hadn't done anything wrong; Why should she get punished?

"What, Chloe?" The blonde asked over her shoulder, keeping her hand still on the shifter. Chloe crossed her arms and glared at her friend.

"You know, that wasn't very nice what you did up there. And it actually really bothered me the way you acted around Beca."

Aubrey just shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about." She replied, innocently. "I just gave her my honest opinion. I didn't think she did that well."

Chloe rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms, leaning in closer towards the stubborn blonde.

"Oh, knock it off, Aubrey. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I get you don't like Beca, but–"

"You're right! I don't like her!" Aubrey proclaimed, turning around to now fully face the ginger. "Am I not allowed to not like people anymore?" Stacie remained playing on her phone, but continuously glanced at her friends through the corner of her eye.

"I'm not saying that!" Chloe shouted, catching the way her voice elevated in volume and frustratingly sighed before lowering it. "Look, all I'm saying is that you don't have to be mean or rude to her. She hasn't done anything to you to deserve that."

An awkward silence fell between the heated girls as they remained still, glaring at each other. Chloe's point couldn't be argued, she was right. Aubrey knew that.

The silent minute felt like an eternity, and it was Aubrey who eventually broke the thick tension that filled the air. She also didn't like arguing with Chloe and finally dropped her ego.

Aubrey sighed, "You're right," she admitted, which surprised, but also satisfied Chloe. The redhead's body relaxed and Aubrey repeated, "You're right." She eased her strong eyes, "And I'm sorry. Beca's your friend and I have to respect that..." She paused. "Even if I still don't like her." Her voice lightened at the end of her sentence, which brought out a small smile in Chloe.

The redhead's smile grew as she softly nodded, "Thank you."

"Great! Now that you two have kissed and made up, can we please go do something now?" Stacie brought the girls back down from their negative high, and lighten the mood.

Chloe chuckled, thankful Stacie broke off the last bit of awkwardness.

"Yes, definitely. What do you guys wanna do?"

Stacie was quick to answer, "Let's go to the mall!"

Aubrey didn't hesitate and put the car in reverse, "I think you have a shopping addiction," the blonde joked, extending her arm across the back of Stacie's seat so she could look over shoulder to back out.

Stacie smirked, "You don't seem to mind."

* * *

They arrived at the mall and both Chloe and Aubrey knew to let Stacie take the lead. They enjoyed shopping as well, but no one compared to the spending queen that was Stacie Conrad. It was a good thing her parents were rich, otherwise Stacie wouldn't be able to keep up with her addiction. On the bright side, Stacie was also a fairly fast shopper. She scanned items quickly an if she liked something, she bought it. Then would move on to the next store.

They started in Forever 21, which consisted of a lot of browsing, but in the end the girls didn't find anything worth buying. It wasn't until they reached Charlotte Rouse that they spent a little more time and money. Chloe spotted a cute, light blue, button up blouse and went to the fitting room to try it on, while Aubrey and Stacie looked over the accessories.

The shirt fit perfectly and Chloe liked the way it brought out her eyes. _I wonder if Beca would like me in this shirt?_ She thought, before quickly catching herself and pushing the curios question away. She exited the room and found her friends already standing in line. Aubrey didn't have anything in her hands, but Stacie was holding a long gold necklace with a white stone attached to it and gold hoop earrings. Aubrey looked at Chloe when the redhead joined them.

"You gonna buy it?" She asked, gesturing to the blue blouse.

"Yeah," Chloe smiled, "It's cute isn't it?" She asked, holding it up to her chest.

Aubrey nodded, "I love the color."

"Stacie, what do you think?" The tall girl had already made it to the cashier and placed her items on the counter before tuning around. She made a small 'o' with her mouth as she examined the top.

"Oooh, I like it. That color looks great on you, Chlo."

"Thanks." The redhead grinned, content with her choice. The girls finished paying and exited the store, making their way to Stacie's absolute favorite place to shop; Victoria's Secret. Watching Stacie shop in a Victoria's Secret was like watching a kid shop in a candy store. She would buy the entire franchise if she could. They entered the the store and headed straight to their selections of bras and underwear.

Occasional giggling would erupt amongst them when Stacie or Chloe would playfully pose with a bra or thong in hand. Chloe wasn't actually aiming to buy anything, but Stacie eventually picked out a handful of thongs and two bras to try on. The girls stood outside of the fitting room and Stacie looked at Aubrey.

"Come in with me."

Aubrey blinked, "What? No."

"Oh, come on. I need you to tell me if these look good on me or not." She grabbed Aubrey's wrist and started to lightly pull her in, but the blonde snapped her hand back.

"No, Stace!" She yelled, but then rapidly changed it to an angry whisper, "You're not even allowed to have more than one person in there at a time." Aubrey cautiously looked around, making sure none of the employees were watching their little altercation, and Chloe chuckled.

"Just go in, Bree."

"Yeah, Bree." Stacie whined, grabbing Aubrey's wrist a little tighter this time, "Come on, hurry up!"

Aubrey rolled her eyes and groaned, "Fine." Stacie gleed and finally pulled the stubborn blonde inside with her.

Chloe shook her head in amusement of her friends and decided to check out the store's perfumes while she waited. She tested a few scents and really liked the way the one called "Tease" smelled. She found her thoughts wandering once again when she began to wonder if Beca would also like the scent.

 _Would she like it on me?_

The redhead groaned and shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking that way.

It took the girls a little longer than Chloe expected, but they eventually came back out from the fitting rooms. Stacie came out first, then Aubrey shortly after. This confused the redhead and she raised a brow.

"Why did you guys come out separately?"

"Bree wanted to make sure no one saw us coming out together." Just then the blonde stood beside her, "You're such scaredy cat." Stacie mocked.

Aubrey scoffed, "Well excuse me, I don't want to get kicked out."

Chloe laughed and Stacie rolled her eyes.

"They wouldn't kick us out," the taller girl muttered.

"You don't know that." Aubrey challenged, crossing her arms.

Stacie gave up, "Whatever." She looked at Chloe, "So, I'm gonna pay for these, but I'm like super hungry. You guys wanna go get some food after this?"

Chloe scrunched her nose a bit and nodded, "Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too."

"Alright. Where should we go?" She asked, looking at Aubrey.

The blonde shrugged, "We could go to Billy's." They looked at Chloe, asking if she was okay with that choice.

Chloe shrugged, "Sure, why not? It is Friday."

Her reply confirmed their decision and the girls turned to approach the cash registers. Chloe heard her cellphone go off as they stood in line, and pulled it out of her pocket to read the message.

 ** _Tom:_** _"Hey baby. Wanna hangout_

 _tonite? :)"_

"Shit," Chloe muttered to herself, but it was loud enough for her friends to hear.

"What?" Aubrey asked, turning to face the redhead.

Chloe shook her head, "Nothing, Tom just texted me. He's asking if I wanna hangout with him tonight."

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

Chloe's real answer was that she just wasn't in the mood to see him, but she knew she couldn't say that, and decided to go with,

"Well we were about to go eat and I'm really hungry." She played it off quite well and thought she solved her problem, until,

"Just tell him to meet us there."

Shit. Chloe hadn't thought of that.

"Oh–" she faked a wide smile, "Yeah, good idea."

Aubrey turned back to watch Stacie pay and Chloe reluctantly texted Tom back. She knew it wasn't right to feel like Tom was more of a dead weight than her boyfriend. She should be excited to see him, she should be happy. But it killed her to know that she wasn't, and Chloe really didn't know how to fix it.

* * *

Beca and Jesse arrived at Billy's and Jesse took out his phone before they entered.

"Benji says they're here already." He said, reading the text he received from the curly haired boy just moments ago. Jesse opened the door for the both of them and let Beca go in first.

"Thank you." Of course he was a gentleman; emphasis on _gentle_.

"You're welcome," he grinned in return.

They walked inside and Jesse scanned the restaurant for Benji and Emily. He spotted them in a booth and waved when he got their attention.

"There they are," he pointed, and lead Beca to their seat.

They scooted in to the opposite side of the booth; Beca sat across from Emily and Jesse sat across from Benji.

"Hey, guys!" Benji greeted.

"What's up bro?" Jessie replied, sharing a brief secret handshake with his friend. He smiled at the younger girl next to him, "Hey, Em."

"Hi, Jesse!" The youthful girl looked at Beca, "Hey, you're Beca right? I thought you were awesome today at the tryouts. You're really good!"

Beca snickered at the enthusiastic girl, "Thanks."

"Hey! What about me?" Jesse interjected. The table laughed.

"You were great too, Jess!" Emily reassured and Beca leaned forward,

"It's okay. You can tell him I was better," she smirked.

"Hey!" Jesse exclaimed, pretending to be hurt by Beca's teasing and the brunette laughed again.

Benji and Emily had been at Billy's for about ten minutes before Beca and Jesse had gotten there, but they waited for them to arrive so they could all order their food together. Beca ordered the same thing she did the last time she was there and found the rest of the table's orders kind of amusing. Jesse ordered a double decker burger, which Beca was interested to see if he would actually eat the entire thing. Benji, however, decided to go with a hotdog. Beca didn't know why, but she always found it funny when someone would order hotdogs at a burger place. But the funniest, and least surprising order, was Emily's.

"I'll have the chicken fingers, please." Emily smiled at the waitress.

"Okay..." the woman said, writing it down on her pad. "And would you like regular or wedge cut fries?"

"Umm–" Emily sang, smiling through her lip bitting, "Can I get the smiley fries?"

The waitress smiled, "Sure thing, sweetie." The woman finished writing down the rest of the order and left. Beca couldn't fight the laughter that was building up inside of her and finally let it out.

"What are 'smiley' fries?" She curiously asked.

Emily measured with her thumb and pointer finger as she happily explained, "They're like these little circle fries with smiley faces cut out in them."

Beca's amused grin never left her face, "That's awesome."

The four of them chatted and sipped on their drinks while they waited for their food. Beca genuinely enjoyed the witty company and all of the entertaining stories they shared. One of them being Emily's mom once randomly breaking out into song during a PTA meeting. At some point, Benji performed a magic trick and made the salt shaker dissappear through the table. It was a pretty cool trick. Beca made a mental note to look it up on the internet when she got home.

Their food finally arrived and Beca was quick to dip one of her french fries into her milkshake.

"You do that too?!" Jesse gasped, his eyes wide and his grin even wider.

* * *

Aubrey finally found a parking spot after circling the lot a few times, and pulled in. The girls exited the car and could see Tom on his phone, waiting by the main entrance.

"Hey, Tom." Aubrey greeted. The boy looked up from his phone and nodded with smile. He quickly found Chloe and pulled her in for a quick kiss.

"Hey, babe. I missed you." He grinned. Chloe just gave him a soft smile and uncomfortably tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I missed you too."

He wrapped an arm around the shorter girl's waist and the four of them strolled inside together.

"Hi, welcome to Billy's," the hostess greeted, "How many?"

"Four," Aubrey answered.

"Okay. Right this way." The hostess began leading them to their table and Tom kept his arm around Chloe as they walked. The redhead's eyes suddenly widened when she spotted Beca laughing with her table and Chloe realized they were going to pass her.

 _Oh no...Please don't see me, Beca. Please don't see me–_

"Hey, look! Beca's here." Stacie pointed out. "Let's go say hi." She maneuvered pass the couple and went straight for Beca.

"Wait, Stace! No–" Chloe reached out, "I don't wanna–" her plea couldn't be completed when Stacie beat her to the brunette.

"Hey, track star." Stacie flirted. Beca turned to face who ever was talking to her and smiled when she instantly recognized the much taller girl.

"Hey, Stacie. What's up? What are you doing he–" Beca's sentence was instantly cut short when Tom, Chloe, and Aubrey came up behind Stacie. Beca eyed Tom's hand on Chloe's hip, and her smile slightly fell. Chloe was the only one who noticed it.

"Hey, Bec," the ginger weakly smiled. Chloe hadn't known Beca for very long, but it hurt the redhead when she noticed a change in Beca's dark eyes.

The brunette blinked, not really sure how to process everything fast enough. She could feel her chest getting heavier and heavier, like some invisible force was pushing on it. It took her a few awkward moments of silence before her vocal chords finally remembered how to function.

"H-Hey, Chloe."

The two groups started greeting each other and Beca felt a wave of negative weight come down on her. She was not about to let anybody know how she was really feeling, so she faked a friendly smile and looked at Tom, "Sorry, I don't know your name."

The boy looked at her, "Oh, I'm Tom." He smiled, "Chloe's boyfriend." He emphasized his response by gently squeezing the redhead against him.

"Yeah, I figured." Beca moved her pointer finger in a circular motion, gesturing to Tom's obvious hand around Chloe's waist. "I kind of put two and two together." Beca kept up her phony geniality, but only Chloe recognized it as the sarcasm it was meant to be. The redhead grew very uncomfortable and her brain began an internal battle with her heart. It all became a little overwhelming.

"Alright, well we were just about to sit down, so–" Chloe flashed remorseful eyes at Beca and reluctantly continued, "We'll see you guys later." She ended the conversation and had her friends say their goodbyes before leading with Tom to their table.

Beca watched as Chloe walked away and sat down with her back facing the track star. The redhead's expressive eyes hadn't gone unnoticed by the brunette, but Beca didn't really care at the moment. The table went back to their conversation, but the volume of their voices slowly faded away. All Beca could hear were her thoughts and her heart pounding faster in her chest. Time seemed to slow and Beca felt like she was going to throw up. She knew what was happening. It had been awhile since Beca felt this overwhelmed by her emotions, but she instantly recognized the symptoms and knew what she had to do to ease them.

"Can we go?" She muttered to Jesse, almost too quietly to be audible.

The friendly boy looked at her, concerned, "You okay?"

Beca found the little bit of acting she had left within her and pushed it out, "Yeah, my stomach's just not feeling so well," she shrugged.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, sure. I'll take you home." Jesse searched the restaurant and found their waitress, calling her over so they could get the check and pay.

"You guys are leaving?" Emily asked, with genuine sadness in her voice.

Beca felt kind of bad, but, "Yeah, I'm not feeling so good," she persuaded.

"Aww..." Emily pouted, "Well I hope you feel better!" She perked back up and Beca couldn't help but give a small smile to the innocently cheery girl.

"Thanks."

Beca and Jessie paid for their meals and said one last goodbye to their friends. Chloe turned her head over her shoulder just in time to watch the brunette leave. The redhead couldn't afford to get busted by Aubrey again, so she turned back to the table and continued her 'there's-nothing-wrong-with-me' facade with a forced smile.

 _What have I done..._

* * *

Jesse kept the small talk to a minimum as they drove home. He had a gut feeling that meeting Tom was what was really bothering the smaller brunette, but he didn't want to pry and didn't question her about it. They pulled up to his driveway and they got out of his car in silence.

"Well, I hope you feel better." Jesse smiled. Beca had already started walking towards her house, but stopped to turn around and look at him.

"Thanks, Jess." The corner of her mouth rose ever so slightly, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Beca."

They went their separate ways and she quietly opened the front door, not wanting her dad to see her change and leave again. She knew it would only lead to more questions and Beca was really not in the mood to answer any of them. He wasn't in the house, and when Beca passed his bedroom through the hallway, she was happy to find that he was in the shower. Beca darted to her room and quickly started to change.

 _Of course Chloe has a boyfriend! Why am I surprised? Chloe is pretty, she's popular and she's a cheerleader. How could a girl like that_ ** _not_** _have a boyfriend?_

Beca's eyes began to burn as she felt the tears collecting on the edges, desperately begging to be released. She battled against them and continued to change, her thoughts growing louder and louder.

 _Had I really just imagined everything I felt with Chloe? Was it really just all one sided? It felt like she was flirting with me. But maybe she wasn't... Maybe Chloe was just being friendly and none of it has meant anything to her._

 _Maybe I've been wrong this whole time._

Beca immediately wiped the tear that had fallen from her eye, fumbling with her jeans as she clumsily put them on.

 _And why would Chloe even like me anyway? I'm just an average girl with nothing special to offer. Why would anyone like Chloe_ ** _ever_** _like a girl like me? A girl who's small. A girl with pale skin. A girl who's awkward without even trying._

Beca groaned, gritting her teeth in frustration.

 _A girl who needs to get my emotions in check before I physically break!_

Beca finished slipping on her last sneaker and made sure to grab her earphones before she left the room. She exited the front door and zipped up her black sweat jacket as she stared out into the late evening sky. She couldn't deal with everything she was feeling. It was just too much to handle. So, Beca did what she always does when things get a little too much for her.

She ran.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING! *wipes tear***

 **I'm so mean. I'm sorry Beca. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you. ;)**

 **Let me know what you thought! Thanks! :D**


	9. Frustrations

**Author's 1st Note: Welp, still got the sling, but still going strong! xD**

 **Here's chapter 9!**

* * *

 _Chloe pushed Beca backwards until the brunette's back roughly collided with the wall behind her. Their growing pants caused their chests to brush up against each other with every breath they took and Beca could feel the burning heat rising between them. Chloe brought her hands up to Beca's sides and pinned the brunette where she stood._

 _"W-What are you doing?" Beca asked nervously, her eyes uncontrollably flicking down to the redhead's smirking lips._

 _"Shh..." Chloe whispered, causing a shiver to run down Beca's spine. The cheerleader leaned forward and stopped by the brunette's ear, "Nobody has to know." Chloe pulled back, her eyes half-lidded, and the younger girl's heart began pounding faster in her chest as Chloe slowly closed the gap between them–_

* * *

"Beca."

The track star stirred in her bed and groaned as the calling of her name grew louder and louder, and the images of Chloe slowly faded.

"Beca?"

She groggily blinked her eyes open when she finally came through and recognized the voice as her father's.

"Yeah, dad," she mumbled, her voice rough and scratchy. Mr. Mitchell stepped into her room and Beca lazily rolled over to her side to face the door.

"Hey, sleepy head." He chuckled, "What time did you get home last night?"

Beca's heavy eyes blinked, "Late."

"I can tell," he grinned, "Did you have fun?"

Memories of the night before flashed in her mind; Billy's, Chloe, Tom...running. Beca didn't want her dad to get involved, and it didn't help that she wasn't that great at explaining her emotions anyway, so she lied.

"Yeah I did." She yawned, "I had a lot of fun."

Her father smiled, "Well good. I'm glad you're having a good time at your new school."

Beca expressed a phony, closed smile, and she let out a breath, "Yeah..."

After her father finally left her alone, Beca rolled back over onto her back and stared up at the blank ceiling. She let out a long sigh as she thought back to the night before.

She didn't know where she was going, but Beca didn't really have a specific destination either. She just ran. Beca knew she shouldn't have liked Chloe that way. Every time Beca developed feelings for someone, she would always end up getting hurt.

It had been a few years since Beca had liked anyone that way, but there was just something about the redhead that crawled under skin and stayed there. Beca ran from her feelings and ran from the reality that Chloe was not only taken, but definitely not interested in Beca in _that_ way. Which is what hurt the most. Beca genuinely thought she felt something between them. Some indescribable spark that seemed reciprocated amongst them both. But apparently, she was wrong.

Beca groaned and shook her head. She didn't want to think about Chloe anymore. She needed to distract herself. Beca had no intentions of leaving her home, so she got up decided she just going to finish unpacking her things and organize the rest of her room. She set up her small speakers and plugged in her phone, blasting the music so her thoughts could no longer be heard.

* * *

It felt like a few hours, but Beca wasn't really sure how long she had been in her room, until her father came back. She lowered her music so she could hear him.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

Beca just looked at him, "Yeah? Why?"

"I don't know. You've been in your room all morning. Have you even eaten anything?"

Beca grabbed her phone and checked the time; _3:17 pm_

"Oh, shit."

"Language," her father warned. Beca looked up at him, still a bit stunned and shook her head.

"Sorry, I just didn't realize what time it was. I've been unpacking the rest of my stuff."

Mr. Mitchell took a moment to scan the room. She had made some serious progress, and it looked as though her room was almost completely finished. He looked back at his daughter and although his gut sensed that there was still something wrong, he knew his daughter wouldn't open up to him anyway and just hoped whatever it was wasn't serious.

"Well I just wanted to let you know I'll be gone for a while. I've got some work at the school that needs to be done and a few other errands to run."

Beca's lack of emotion stayed the same, "Alright."

Mr. Mitchell leaned forward and placed a kiss on her head. "I'll see you later." He left her room, and Beca sighed as she frustratingly ran her hands up her face and into her hair; tightly gripping her locks with a groan, before finally letting go. She turned her music back up and went back to organizing her things.

* * *

Beca was just about done and was putting up an X Ambassadors poster when she heard the doorbell ring. She furrowed her brow, wondering who would possibly be at their door. She hopped off her bed and the bell rang again.

"Coming!" She hollered. Beca opened the door and was surprised to see who it was.

"Hey!" Jesse smiled widely.

Beca looked at him, confused, "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to check on you." Beca stared blankly at him, mostly because she wasn't really sure what to say. "How are you feeling?" He eventually asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Beca shrugged, "I'm fine."

Jesse slightly tilted his head to the side as he searched her dull eyes. He knew what was really bothering her and he braced himself as he daringly entered sensitive territory.

"Um–" he looked down and gathered the courage he needed to continue, "I'm sorry... about yesterday."

Beca raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

Jesse didn't beat around the bush, "I know you got upset because of Tom."

Her mouth fell open, wanting to reply, but a silence fell between them and Beca just glared at him, stunned. Jesse remained still, looking at her with understanding and sorry eyes, which made Beca uncomfortable. She didn't want his empathy, and after a few more moments, Beca finally blinked back to reality and shook her head.

"I'm not– I don't know what you're talking about."

Jesse wasn't buying it. "Beca, it's okay to–"

"Look, Jesse," the track star wanted this conversation to be over as soon as possible, "I know you're just trying to be nice and everything, but I'm fine. Really." Beca stared straight into his eyes, trying as hard as she could to confirm her lie.

Jesse smiled weakly and gave up for now, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with the stubborn girl. Although, he still hoped that one day she would let him in.

"Okay, well, that's good then." Even though Beca didn't want to talk, Jesse still wanted to try and make her feel better and started a new conversation. "So, Benji is suppose to come over soon. We were gonna play video games and hangout today. Wanna come over?" He smiled.

Beca actually enjoyed playing video games and the idea did sound like a lot of fun, but Beca knew she needed at least one more day to get over what ever ridiculous funk she was in, and regrettably declined his offer.

"Sorry, maybe another time." Beca noticed the way Jesse's face slightly fell and she tried to ease the blow, "I just still have a lot of unpacking to do."

Jesse would be lying if he said he still wasn't bummed, but Beca had just moved in. Her excuse was a pretty decent one and Jesse was understanding.

The boy's spirit was lifted once again, "Okay, then. I'll hold you to it." He pointed at Beca with a grin and turned to leave. "Bye, Becaw!" He hollered one last time, waving before he entered his home.

Beca furrowed her brow. Did he just say, Becaw?

* * *

Chloe's day hadn't been much different. Both Aubrey and Tom had texted her, asking if she wanted to spend the day with them, but Chloe came up with the traditional _I've-got-chores-to-do_ excuse and got them off of her back. Chloe didn't feel like leaving her house either, and instead, she stayed in her pajamas all day, eating junk food and watching Netflix. As the day went on, Chloe grew into a habit of looking at her phone after every movie, resisting the urge to text a certain tiny brunette.

She couldn't stop thinking about Beca and how hurt she looked when she met Tom the night before. Chloe felt awful about the whole thing. She didn't mean to lead Beca on or anything, but at the same time, she also couldn't help flirting with the girl. Chloe would never plan on flirting with her, it would just sort of happen. She enjoyed the teasing, and found it fun to make Beca flustered. Especially since the brunette would always try so hard to maintain her cool and badass attitude.

But now Chloe realized she may have taken her flirting a little too far and had now possibly hurt the one person she never intended to. Beca didn't deserve to have her feelings played with and Chloe was determined to fix the unfortunate situation. She wanted to stay friends with the brunette, at least for now, until she figured out everything that was going on in her head.

* * *

Sunday came around, and Beca was thankful to finally be over her dark cloud; or so she convinced herself. She went for a run sometime in the afternoon, wanting to get more practice in since she really wanted to beat out Luke some day. The rest of her evening consisted of last minute homework and an entertaining text conversation with Fat Amy. Beca managed to keep Chloe off of her mind the entire day, that is, until the night came around and she laid on her bed, setting up her alarm for the following morning.

The alarm was off but it still showed the last time she had saved on it. It was an earlier time than usual, because the last time she used it was Friday morning, when she wanted to run before the try outs. Beca remembered Chloe mentioning that she runs every morning at the school during the week. The track star couldn't help but wonder if the redhead would be there the following morning, and Beca found herself staring at the phone screen, debating wether or not she was going to go.

Beca didn't know why, but what she was feeling made no sense at all. She shouldn't go. She really didn't have to and she could imagine what would happen if she did. But something inside her took over and she finally turned her alarm on, leaving the time unchanged.

* * *

 _Chloe shamelessly assaulted Beca's neck as she gripped onto the smaller girl's wrists and held her still against the mattress. The redhead revealed in the moans and whimpers that escaped Beca's lips, so she nipped a little harder at her sensitive skin, craving more of those sweet sounds._

 _Beca arched her back in approving response, "We–shouldn't be–doing this..." She managed to breath between pants. Her comment lacked sincerity, but Chloe lifted up from the track stars bruising neck and stared lovingly into her dark orbs._

 _"We can stop if you want," she whispered, gently running her hands down Beca's torso. The brunette shuddered at her touch and responded by wrapping her hand around Chloe's neck and pulling her down into a searing kiss. Chloe sighed as their soft tongues glided against each other, and a strong pressure began to build in her lower region._

 _The cheerleader gripped onto Beca's brown locks as their kiss intensified and she gasped when she felt Beca's hand cup her womanhood–_

* * *

 ***Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep***

The sound of the irritating alarm disrupted her pleasurable dream all too soon, and Chloe miserably groaned as she rolled over to shut off the blaring cellphone. She sat up on her bed and sighed as she held her head. This wasn't the first time she had had a 'wet dream', so to speak, about Beca, but every time she woke up from one, she always felt the same way, disappointed and frustrated. She languidly slid off of her bed and proceeded to get herself ready for her morning run.

As she finished pulling up her workout shorts, Chloe wondered if she would run into Beca and maybe get a chance to talk to her. She needed to know how the brunette was feeling and she hoped everything was still okay between them.

* * *

Beca's alarm went off fifteen minutes before Chloe's and although she chose to get up, Beca wasn't planning on running. The track star wasn't prepared for another possible shower encounter and she didn't want to have an awkward run with the ginger either. But alas, her curiosity got the better of her and she decided she was just going to go to see if Chloe's statement was true, that she would be there every morning. Beca quickly got ready, grabbed her things, and left.

* * *

When Beca reached the school, she didn't want Chloe to see her, so she went through the athletic's building and came out on the other side of the track and field. She peeked around the corner and searched for the cheerleader, hoping she would find the complicated redhead jogging around, but was disappointed to see nothing but an empty track. Beca leaned back on the wall and sighed.

 _Damn, I could have practiced_ , she thought. Now she was up this early with nothing to do. She should have never came. Why did she anyway?

Beca groaned and lightly hit her head against the wall. She turned the corner and began walking down the track, but then suddenly froze when the very redhead who haunted her dreams came walking up the other direction. Luckily the ginger was looking down at her phone and didn't even notice the brunette.

"Shit," Beca muttered, and quickly jumped back to her previous position, peeking around the corner once again.

Chloe placed her bags by the outdoor bleachers, then walked back onto the track. Beca was surprised when the redhead didn't immediately start running. Instead, Chloe just stood there and looked around.

 _Is she looking for me?_ Beca couldn't help the thought and was unaware of how right she was.

Chloe stood waiting on the track, hoping that Beca would show up. But after almost ten minutes passed, it was clear that Beca wasn't going to come. The redhead hesitantly plugged in her earphones and looked around one last time before starting her run.

Beca watched her the entire time, resisting the urge to go up and talk to her. When she saw her finally give up and start running, Beca figured this was her cue to leave. It was weird enough she was basically stalking the girl. Beca knew she would see the ginger in cooking class and maybe that would remain the only time she sees her. The brunette didn't know why she was still kind of mad, it wasn't like Chloe was hers to begin with. So why was she still so upset about the whole thing? Beca decided the less time she spent with the redhead, the easier it will be to get over her.

By the time Chloe ran around the second turn, Beca was gone.

* * *

Fourth period came around, and Beca found herself feeling a bit nervous as she arrived to the class. Just before she walked through the door, Beca stopped when felt a tap on her shoulder.

 _Please don't be Chloe. Please don't be Chloe,_ she thought as she slowly turned around.

"Hey, Beca! How was your weekend?"

The track star sighed in relief, "Oh, hey Emily." The peppy freshman was smiling widely at the track star and Beca continued, "It was...alright. How was yours?"

"Great, actually! I went to a carnival on Saturday with Benji and then Sunday I finally got caught up on _Pretty Little Liars_. So, you know, it was a pretty productive weekend." Emily laughed at her own joke and Beca couldn't help but snicker. This girl was just too adorkably amusing.

"Yeah, sounds like you had fun." Emily eagerly nodded, and the two continued into the classroom.

Beca sat down next to Fat Amy and eyed Chloe's seat. The cheerleader still hadn't arrived.

"Hey, short stack. How ya been, mate?"

Beca just gave her the same answer she gave everybody else.

"I've been alright. You?"

Amy shrugged, "Eh, can't complain. Spent the weekend teachin' my Chinchilla how to fetch me a fizzy."

Beca looked to the side and blinked. Did she just say Chinchilla? Just as Beca was about to respond, Chloe suddenly entered the classroom. All of Beca's attention immediately focused on the redhead, but when Chloe made eye contact with her, Beca quickly looked down at her notebook.

Chloe slightly furrowed her brow in sadness and bit her lip. She now knew for sure that Beca was upset with her. The redhead didn't say a word and lethargically went to her seat.

"Oooh...What happened?" Amy whispered so Chloe wouldn't hear.

"What are you talking about?" Beca questioned.

"Oh, come on. You always smile when Chloe comes to class, but today you just totally ignored her. What changed?"

Did she really always smile when she looked at Chloe? How embarrassing.

"Nothing, Amy. Just drop it."

The Australian raised her brows, "Wow. Well if that doesn't prove somethin' ain't right, then I don't know what does." She simply stated.

Beca was going to retort, but the bell rang as she opened her mouth. Ms Gail came up to the front of the class and Beca reluctantly kept her mouth shut.

"Alright, class. We've been going over safety rules for the past week and I'm happy to inform you that you guys will finally be getting your cooking partners today and start working in the kitchen."

The class broke out in quiet comments and Beca widened her eyes. She quickly glanced at the redhead diagonal from her and the cheerleader also reacted to the statement by suddenly sitting more upright in her chair.

"Okay, calm down, calm down." Ms Gail hushed the class and continued, "So here's how we're gonna do this. I've already picked your partners and–" Her sentence was interrupted by the sudden whines and complaints coming from a handful of the students, and the older woman sighed, "Yes, yes. I know, it's horrible. You'll get over it." Ms Gail grabbed a notebook from her desk and stood by the board. "Alright, so I need everyone to get up and move to that side of the room." She pointed the opposite side. "I will point to a table and call out the pairs. That will be your table and partner for the rest of the year. I will assign your kitchen stations later."

The students started collectively getting up and Beca felt Amy nudge her with her elbow, "Hey, maybe you'll get a sexy ass partner like me," she grinned.

Beca chuckled, "We're probably not gonna be partners, Amy. I don't think Gail's keeping the seats the same." The brunette and the blonde collected their things and started moving to the other side of the classroom with the rest of the students.

"I wasn't talkin' about me." Amy simply said, almost innocently, like she totally wasn't implying Chloe at all. Beca's mouth opened but nothing came out.

"Okay, table one; I need Donald and Jessica." Ms Gailed called out.

"Awh, man."

Beca looked over and saw the darker boy make a dispirited face to Bumper, "Sorry, bro." He shared a brief hand gesture with his friend, then went to his new seat. Ms Gail continued calling out names while Amy moved closer to Bumper.

"Aww, it's always sad to see an owner lose his dog." She sarcastically patted his back, "There, there."

Bumper looked at her and didn't miss a beat, "You know what's sad? Those shorts." He looked down at Amy's pants and the Australian looked confused.

"I'm not wearin' shorts."

Bumper shrugged, "Could've fooled me."

"Bumper and Amy." Ms Gail pointed to the seventh table and the bickering duo widened their eyes.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Bumper complained.

Amy rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't be my first choice either, Bumpa sticka."

Beca gulped when she noticed their were only five tables left. As Ms Gail continued calling out pairs, Beca nervously looked at Chloe, who was already looking at her, anxiously biting her lip.

Then Ms Gail got to the second to last table.

"Beca and Chloe."

 _Fuck._

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Sorry nothing "major" happened and that this chapter was shorter than my others, but it was for a good reason. I needed to establish a few things, because guess what? Shit's about to get serious. ;)**

 **Prepare yourselves, guys! We're about to enter the drama zone! xD**

 **Thanks again for your comments and reviews. You guys are amazing! :)**


	10. Confronting

**Author's 1st Note: I hate my wrist! xD**

 **But hey, I really didn't want to leave you guys hanging for too long, so I tried to type this chapter up as fast as I could.**

 **Hope you guys are ready for it. ;)**

* * *

Beca and Chloe sat down at their table, but Beca didn't make eye contact with her new partner. Chloe noticed this but decided to greet her anyway.

"Hey, Beca." The redhead gave her a soft smile, hoping the brunette would warm up to it. It took her a second, but Beca eventually replied without looking at her.

"Hi, Chloe."

Cold.

In the short amount of time Chloe had known Beca, she never once heard the track star speak so bleakly rigid, especially towards her. Chloe would be lying if she said it hadn't stung a bit.

The redhead tightened her mouth and slowly nodded her head. It was clear Beca didn't want to talk to her, but Chloe felt like silence wouldn't solve anything, and she really did want to fix whatever was misguided between them. Chloe waited a few seconds, then restarted their conversation.

"Listen, Bec–" The brunette glanced at her through the corner of her eye, "I really think you and I should have a ta–"

"Chloe! We're going to be moving into the kitchen in a few minutes, please pay attention." Ms. Gail's sudden instructions caught both girls off guard and caused them to jump in their seats.

"Sorry, Ms. Gail." Chloe apologized, getting a quick peek of Beca before dropping her eyes to her lap. She was defeated for now, but Chloe wasn't about to give up that easily.

Beca was both relieved and disappointed their teacher interrupted them. She wanted to hear what Chloe had to say about everything, but at the same time, her stubborn irritation over powered her true wishes and kept her from being rational.

Ms. Gail continued her speech about the dos and don'ts that came with working in the kitchen, but Chloe didn't really pay attention. Instead, she secretly counted the minutes that passed, before they were released to their stations and the ginger would have a second chance at communicating with Beca.

The students were finally released to their stations and Ms. Gail let them have the rest of the class period to organize and get comfortable with their new work areas. This was Chloe's window of opportunity, and she wasn't about to let it go. She nervously bit her lip and looked at her partner.

"Beca..."

Beca kept her eyes on the stove knobs she found particularly interesting at the moment as she replied.

"Yes, Chloe?" She was offensively proper.

Gross.

Chloe sighed, but continued, "Listen, Beca. I've been wanting to talk to you about what happened at Billy's on Friday."

Beca occupied herself by opening their top cabinets as Chloe spoke. She knew how rude she was being, but the angry and bitter part of Beca kept it's hand clasped around her sad and hurt core, and withheld her true desires from being expressed.

"What's there to talk about?" The brunette placidly asked.

Chloe watched the track star blatantly ignore her and released a breathy chuckle in annoyance.

"Will you please stop and just look at me."

Beca huffed and bit the inside of her cheek, finally stopping and turning to stare directly into the redhead's light blue eyes.

"What, Chloe?" She snapped.

The cheerleader was taken aback by Beca's attack, but knew it was only coming from a place of hurt.

"Bec, please don't be mad at me. I–" Before she could continue, Beca already had a response.

"I'm not mad at you," she shrugged.

Chloe dropped her shoulders, "Yes you are."

The track star put on a smile that was undeniably bogus, "Why would I be mad?" Beca knew she was being a little immature, but she couldn't help it. All of her insecurities rebuilt the parts of her walls that Chloe had some how managed to tear down.

After Chloe just stood there, searching the smaller girl's eyes for the Beca she knew a few days ago, the track star grew tired of their staring contest and went back to checking out all of their supplies and tools at their station.

Chloe sighed in defeat. She wasn't going to get anywhere with Beca any time soon, and she accepted that. What she didn't accept was this being _it_ for them. Chloe was determined to get through to Beca and fix any part of the brunette she had regrettably broken. Chloe Beale was no quitter.

* * *

Beca had officially made the track team. She was thrilled when she read the selected list of students Monday afternoon and internally celebrated when she found her name typed out in black ink with the rest of the chosen runners. She had pulled out her phone to text her new friends about the exciting news, and frowned when she found Chloe's name amongst her recent text messages. Chloe had been there to support her and Beca felt her chest ache when she realized how unfortunate their relationship had rapidly become.

* * *

As the week progressed, the track star and the cheerleader fell into a defective routine. Both girls would wake up bright and early every morning. Chloe would wait on the track for Beca to appear before ultimately giving up and continuing with her run, while the brunette secretly watched her from afar, longing to speak to her and to apologize for her lousy attitude, but never finding the courage to actually do it. Cooking class, which once started out as a fun and entertaining period, now became an awkward and sometimes just plain quiet class between the two.

Practices became intense. Beca would be forced to pass the practicing cheerleaders as she would run by, but each time she did, she would compel her eyes to stay glued onto the track in front of her. Sometimes the brunette would catch a glimpse of Tom practicing with his football team on the field. It would sometimes be a little too overwhelming for Beca, but the tension was actually some what beneficial. It drove her to push her running limits, and got her that much closer to beating out Luke.

But the hardest part of it all was when Beca and Chloe would find themselves in the locker room showers at the same time. Cheer practice ended around the same time track did, and every time Chloe would catch Beca's dark, steel eyes, the brunette would quickly turn away and pretend her stomach didn't flip every time she looked at the redhead's sweet face.

* * *

As the days went on, Beca never let off of her snide comments, but Chloe would continue to try her absolute best to lighten the mood between her and Beca and fought hard to bring back the little brunette she had grown attached to. But Beca would keep their conversations short, only speaking to the redhead if she really needed to, and she would only reply to her if the ginger had a legitimate question. Other than those bleak interactions, it was almost as if they barely acquaintances. Acquaintances who secretly yearned for the other, but withheld themselves for no other reason than to simply torture themselves.

Especially, Beca.

The brunette's childish antics would occasionally dwindle on their own, but a few times during the week, Beca had seen Chloe and Tom together, and the fire within her would instantly refuel and continue to burn in her heart. Little did she know, Chloe was pushing her boyfriend further and further away, denying him anytime he was affectionate, and the redhead would think about nothing other than the stubborn track star when she was with him. Chloe had to do something about it. She couldn't carry on that way. It wasn't right.

Chloe found her own fire brewing within her, however, as she grew more frustrated with Beca's immature demeanor. And when Friday eventually came around, the redhead decided that enough was enough. She finally took charge of her chaotic and confusing emotions and made decisions that had been long over due. All that was left was for Beca to hear her out, wether the brunette liked it or not. It needed to be done. Especially after what Chloe finally did. And now the only challenge left was for the cheerleader to figure out the perfect time and place to confront Beca.

* * *

"I've always hated this part of practice." Jesse panted, as he surprisingly managed to maintain his speed next to Beca, while the team ran their three miles around the school during practice.

Beca grinned, "What's the matter, Swanson?" she breathed, "These slopes kicking your ass?" Even though Beca clearly had better endurance than the suffering boy next to her, the track star had to admit having to run three miles up and down the streets around their school _was_ exhausting. Still, watching her new neighbor struggle to keep up with her was definitely humorous.

The dying boy huffed, "No!" Beca laughed in response.

* * *

They ran back to the track as they finished their last mile, and Beca wasn't sure when, but at some point she lost Jesse and he fell behind with the rest of the team. With one hour left of practice, the teammates split off into different groups and focused on their chosen events. Beca had signed up for the one hundred meter dash, the four hundred meter dash, hurdles and the one mile run. She was glad the cheerleaders didn't have practice on Fridays, it was much easier to focus without Chloe there as a distraction.

During the actual track meets, boys and girls are separated and only compete against their own gender. However, that didn't matter during practices and Beca took the opportunity to study her current nemesis, Luke. It was really unfair how naturally talented he was at running. It took Beca years of hard work and dedication for her to get where she currently was. And even after all at of that, when it came to Luke, she still wasn't good enough. But that didn't discourage her, no. His threatening skills did nothing but nourish Beca's competitive side. She was determined to beat him one day. But for now, the brunette would just watch.

When Luke came back around from running the hurdles, he caught Beca starring and approached the smaller girl with a smirk.

"Aww, don't worry, Becky." He playfully grabbed her tiny chin with his thumb and pointer finger, "Maybe one day you'll be able to run like the big kids," he mocked.

Beca scoffed and snapped her head out of his grasp. She was tough and certainly not intimidated by the handsome Englishman. Beca crossed her arms, and flashed him a smug grin as she shook her head.

"I can't wait to kick your ass."

The blonde boy snickered, "Keep dreaming, kiddo." Luke walked away and Beca's company was replaced by Jesse.

"I think he might like you." Jesse said, tilting his head to the side like a puppy who just heard his owner make a funny sound, as he watched Luke approach the water fountain.

Beca chuckled and uncrossed her arms, "Yeah, he's not really my type."

Jesse put his hands on his lower back and stretched backwards as he spoke, "Oh, that's right! You like em' hot, cheery and ginger." He knew he would be in trouble for that comment, but the look on Beca's face was worth it.

That is, until the fiery brunette powerfully hit him in the stomach.

"Ugh!" Jesse yelped at the sudden pain and hunched over. After adjusting, he lifted his head to look at Beca. "You're mean."

Beca simply shrugged, "Serves you right."

Jesse lightly chuckled and stood back up. "Don't be mad at me just because I speak the truth!" He had a feeling Beca would lunge at him again and he managed to jump out of the way when she did just that.

"Woo! Reflexes!" He hollered, hopping back and forth while holding his hands out in a karate position. Beca couldn't help but laugh.

"You're such a dork."

* * *

Practice finally ended and the team split off in different directions. Beca and Jesse were making their way to the locker rooms when Luke called from behind.

"Hey, Becky!"

Beca rolled her eyes and turned around, "My name is Beca, Luke."

"Actually it's Becaw." Beca glared at the smiling idiot next to her and Jesse got the hint to keep his mouth shut.

"Wanna race?" Luke asked.

Beca raised a brow, "Right now?"

"Yeah, why not? You said you couldn't wait to kick my ass, so let's have it then." He stepped closer, "One lap. Just you and me."

Beca wasn't prepared for this. Yes she wanted a chance to race the cocky boy, but she hadn't meant anytime soon. She knew she still needed to work on herself if she was ever going to beat him. But now hear he was, challenging her. And Beca never backed down from a challenge, even if she knew she would probably lose.

"Alright." She shrugged, "Let's go."

Luke smirked and the three of them made their way to one side of the track. Beca and Luke took their positions in neighboring lanes, while Jesse was assigned with starting the race.

"You got this, Beca." Her neighbor encouraged.

Beca smiled but didn't reply. She had to keep her focus on the task at hand.

"You guys ready?" Jesse asked. Both competitors nodded.

"Alright. On you're mark..." Beca closed her eyes. "Get set..." She inhaled a deep breath and could hear her heart pounding in her ears. "Go!" Beca snapped her eyes open and instantly took off.

She ran like her life depended on it and moved as fast as she possibly could. The doubt of victory fiddled in her mind, but she had to at least try. Beca ran and ran, and hadn't seen Luke pass her until they reach the forsaken last turn that always seemed to be her downfall when it came to four hundred meter sprints. Her tired legs pushed to finish the last bit of distance she had left, but she crossed the finish line, last.

"Awh." Jesse murmured. He really wanted to see his new friend win, but unfortunately, she lost.

Luke grinned as he came up to Beca, who was holding onto her knees as she caught her breath.

"Nice try, kiddo."

Beca was too tired to replied and just annoyingly glared up at the boy instead. Luke patted her head and walked away.

"Bye, Becky!"

Jesse approached his friend and gently rubbed her back.

"Hey, that was amazing effort you put out there. You were so close behind him, it's ridiculous." He tried to cheer her up, but wasn't sure if it actually worked. Beca stood up and huffed.

"I still lost."

"Yeah, but you _are_ going to beat him one day. I know it." His reassuring smile calmed the disappointed brunette and Beca smiled back in gratitude.

"Thanks, Jesse."

"Anytime," he grinned. "Alright, let's get out of here." They headed for the locker rooms but Jesse stopped them before they split off to enter the different rooms. "Hey, wait. Are you going to Billy's tonight?"

Beca had a hand on the door and she shrugged, "I don't know. I hadn't planned on it." She remembered what had happened the last time she was there, but refused to let the memory ruin her future experiences. Especially since hanging out at Billy's was such a big thing at this school. "Are you going?" Beca asked.

"Well I wasn't planning on it either, but if you wanna go I can take us."

Beca thought about it and decided she deserved a fun night out.

"Yeah, sure."

Jesse grinned, "Okay, cool! Well after you finish getting changed just meet me at my car. It's in the garage again. I'll take us home so we can get cleaned up and then we'll go. Sound good?"

Beca smiled and nodded once, "Sounds good."

They finished their conversation and entered the locker rooms. As Beca made her way to her locker, she noted that it was quieter than usual and figured the rest of the girls must have already gone home. She sighed in exhaustion as she opened her locker. Practice was brutal as usual, but the extra race she had with Luke took most of the energy she usually had left after practices. Beca removed her shirt and was left in her black sports bra when she suddenly heard a recognizable voice behind her.

"Beca."

Startled, the brunette yelped and quickly turned around.

"Chloe!? What the hell, dude?"

The redhead jumped a bit too at Beca's abrupt loudness and slightly brought her hands up.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."

Beca grunted. She didn't need this kind of excitement after such a harsh practice.

"What do you want?" Beca didn't mean to sound so bitter, but it came out that way.

"We need to talk." Chloe said, then bit her lip when her light eyes uncontrollably looked down at the skin Beca was exposing. It was the closest Chloe had ever been to a shirtless Beca, and the redhead couldn't help but admire the smaller girl's toned stomach.

Beca looked down to meet her gaze and felt her face get hot when she finally realized her awkward predicament.

"Shit." Beca muttered and quickly put her shirt on, looking back up at Chloe when she finished. "I already told you, there's nothing to talk about." Beca turned her back on the cheerleader and attempted to grab her other things, but Chloe unexpectedly slammed her locker door shut, and kept her hand firm against the cold metal. Beca widened her eyes in shock and rapidly turned back around to face the ginger.

"No, Beca! I'm tired of you pretending like there's nothing wrong between us and acting like I don't even exist. That's not fair!"

Beca scoffed, "Not fair? You know what's not fair?"

"What?" Chloe shot back, glaring hard into the track star's dark eyes.

Beca opened her mouth to shout back, but her mind quickly stepped in and stopped her before she let anything slip. She shut her mouth closed and nervously bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to answer the question.

Chloe searched her eyes, waiting for an answer. She briefly noticed how close they were, but pushed her anxious nerves aside.

"Well?" Chloe filled the silent room with volume again. "What's not fair, Beca?"

Beca's mind reeled as she battled against herself. Why was it so hard to just be honest with Chloe?

 _Just tell her, Beca!_

Beca furrowed her brow in frustration, "Forget it." She started to moved away from Chloe, but the redhead wasn't having it. This conversation was not going to end there.

Chloe stopped the brunette in her tracks by putting her other hand up and blocking the younger girl's path. Beca looked at her, annoyed. "What's your problem?"

Chloe found herself getting angry, "What's _your_ problem? Why are you so mad at me?"

Beca pushed Chloe's arms down and felt her heart increase in pace as her adrenaline elevated.

"I already told you I'm not mad at you!"

"Well you're mad about something, I'm not stupid and I'm not leaving you alone until you tell me." The locker room echoed with their loud argument and growing pants, and the temperature rose along with their anger. "Why won't you just talk to me?!"

Chloe had a very good question. Why wouldn't Beca just talk to her? Beca desperately wanted to, but was struggling to actually do it. The track star stubbornly remained silent and Chloe had enough.

"I know you're upset about Tom."

Beca glared at her, "What?" She couldn't let herself get busted and chose to sarcastically laugh it off. "Yeah right."

"Okay, then what is it?" Chloe questioned.

Beca huffed in annoyance and dropped her head back onto her locker, "What is _what_ , Chloe? I don't have time for this, Jesse is waiting for me." Beca attempted to leave once more, but was stopped yet again by the cheerleader.

"No, Beca! I need to know why you're so mad at me! I wanna fix this!" Her comment triggered an old wound within Beca and the brunette gritted her teeth.

"Why do you care anyway? Huh? Why is this _so_ important to you?"

Chloe decided not to match Beca's elevation in emotion and calmed herself down a bit before replying.

"Because, Beca–" This was it. She had to tell her. "I-I care about you."

The words made Beca's heart skip a beat, but she couldn't lower her guard. Beca had heard this before.

The brunette tittered, "You care about me? Yeah, okay."

Her retort pulled at Chloe's heart and the redhead furrowed her brow, hurt.

"What? You don't believe me?" Her voice slightly shook as she held back the tears that were begging to be released.

"No! I don't! You're not the first person I've heard this from, Chloe! Now why don't you just leave me alone and go hold hands with your boyfriend instead."

There it was.

Beca shoved her way away passed Chloe and started walking towards the door.

"So this _is_ about Tom!" Chloe challenged, finally breaking through Beca's titanium walls.

The brunette instantly turned around with glossy eyes, and her brain couldn't control her words any longer.

"Of course it's about Tom, Chloe! I mean what the fuck? You flirted with me since the moment you met me and you made me feel like there was actually something there between us. Then a few days later I find out you have a boyfriend that you didn't even tell me about!" A tear fell from Beca's left eye and Chloe felt her stomach knot knowing she was the cause of the brunette's pain. "Why'd you do it, huh? Was I just some fun little game you played around with just for hell of it?"

Chloe gaped, "No, Beca!" She moved towards the crying girl, "No, oh my God, that wasn't it at all!"

Beca hesitated and her whole aura suddenly changed.

"Then why did you flirt with me when you knew you had boyfriend?" It was the quietest Beca had spoken the entire time, and Chloe felt the heavy weight of guilt press down upon her. She looked down at her feet and shook her head.

"I don't know. I–" It was hard for her to explain what she didn't fully understand to begin with, but she had to try. She looked back up at Beca, resisting the urge to wipe the tears that rolled down her reddened cheeks. "I didn't mean to. I just– It just sort of happened..." Chloe slowly moved forward until she was only a few inches away from the smaller brunette and was happy when Beca didn't move away. "I like you, Beca." The track star didn't move and just continued staring into her crystal eyes. "Like, _really_ like you."

Beca wanted nothing more than to believe the genuine redhead, but Beca's past raced through her mind, and her vision somewhat blurred when her eyes swelled with more tears. Her bottom lip quivered between her teeth and she looked up to meet Chloe's gaze.

"I don't believe you." Beca quickly turned away before another tear could fall, but she was surprised when she suddenly felt Chloe grip onto her shoulders and swiftly spin her back around.

And then, time stood still.

It happened so quickly that it took Beca a few moments to really process the tingling sensation rushing throughout her body. Chloe's soft lips were planted perfectly against hers and Beca's initial shock turned into pure bliss, and the rest of the world melted away. The brunette slowly shut her eyes and released an audible sigh as she lost the little bit of self control she had left.

Beca felt soft lips move against hers and the cheerleader added a little more pressure to the kiss when she gently ran her hand up the back of Beca's neck and tenderly pulled her closer. Beca hadn't kissed many people before Chloe, but something about the redhead was intoxicating and made Beca's entire body feel weightless.

The kiss ended all too soon when Chloe was the first pull back. Beca's eyes fluttered open and was greeted with a dazzling smile and a warm hand on her cheek, as Chloe's thumb wiped the last bit of tears that remained on Beca's face. A comfortable silence fell between them when no words needed be said. Chloe kept her hand on Beca's soft face as they continued to stare deeply into each other's eyes. Beca had never felt this way with anyone before and for the first time, the unfamiliar territory she discovered was nothing but pure delight.

Neither girl wanted the unexpected, yet beautiful moment to end, but Beca was brought back to reality, when she remembered a very crucial factor that made none of what just happened okay.

Chloe noticed the drop in Beca's expression.

"Beca?" She asked, worried. The redhead dropped her hand and moved back a bit, hoping she didn't just offend the brunette.

Beca furrowed her brow in concern, "What about Tom?" Chloe let out a soft breath of relief, confusing the track star. "What?" Beca asked.

A smile slowly spread across Chloe's lips, "I broke up with him."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: ...yeah, so _that_ happened. x) **

**If you guys wanna chat or message me beyond FanFiction, follow me on Tumblr at: not-so-average-fangirl**

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 **Thanks so much guys! Let me know what you thought! :)**


	11. A Request

**Author's 1st Note: Yay! FanFiction is back!**

 **I was going to post this update two nights ago, but then the site went down. Ugh... But it's back now! :D**

 **Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

Chloe's words lifted the overwhelming burden that had weighted down on Beca's shoulders for the past week. The unexpected relief triggered an elated grin to slowly spread across the brunette's face.

"You did what?" Beca quietly asked, making sure what she just heard was in fact real.

Chloe bit her bottom with a smile and nodded in return. She leaned forward and placed her forehead on Beca's, intertwining their fingers.

"I broke up with him." The redhead repeated.

Beca's ears were working perfectly fine, but the brunette was in such a stupor that she still couldn't process everything fast enough.

Chloe just _kissed_ her.

 ** _Chloe Beale_** , just kissed her.

On the lips!

Beca's mind reeled and she felt like she was on cloud nine, but the track star hated her curiosity for getting the best of her, and despite the fact that she didn't want to ruin their moment, her brows furrowed and she slightly pulled away from the stunning redhead.

"Why?"

Luckily Chloe found her question humorous and she giggled at the confused look on the brunette's face. She squeezed the smaller girl's hands and quickly glanced at Beca's lips as she spoke.

"I think it's pretty obvious why." Her breath tickled Beca's face and caused a shudder to ripple through the brunette's body. Beca swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat and sputtered.

"O-Okay." Although Chloe pretty much confirmed what had just happened, the track star still couldn't fathom what had just occurred.

Chloe liked her? Chloe actually liked her?

The redhead smirked and leaned impossibly closer, totally disregarding Beca's personal space; not that the brunette was complaining. Beca suddenly felt a strong urge to lean forward and close the small space between them. It was like Chloe was tempting her, calling her; telepathically pulling her closer to her. It was something Beca had never experienced with anyone before. Chloe Beale was mysteriously mesmerizing.

Beca chewed on her bottom lip as she battled against her desires and her rational conscience shoved it's way through her clouded thoughts to remind her of something fairly important.

"Um...Chloe?" The redhead just hummed in response. "Jesse's still waiting for me." Beca wanted to kick herself for totally ruining their amazing moment, but she couldn't help the fact that Jesse was really waiting for her. Chloe chuckled and let go of Beca's hands as she stepped back.

"Sorry," Chloe lightheartedly apologized, "Is he taking you home?"

"Well, we were actually gonna go to Billy's after we went home to shower and stuff." Beca explained, but she really didn't want to say goodbye to Chloe just yet. "Do you, maybe, wanna come with us? I mean, if you're not busy, or anything. Cause if you had other plans, it's totally cool. I–"

 _Oh my God, Mitchell! Get your shit together!_

A brilliant smile spread across the cheerleader's face and she giggled. This girl was just too cute.

"I'd love to."

Beca snapped out of her rambling and relaxed, smiling in return. Chloe's ability to determine Beca's emotions was terrifying and very dangerous. But Beca didn't want to think about that. The moment was too good to spoil, so after she collected her things from her locker, the two made their way to the garage in search of Jesse's car. They spotted the cheerful boy singing and dancing in his car, which made the girls laugh. But before they reached him, Beca suddenly put an arm out to stop Chloe in her tracks.

The redhead looked at her, confused, "What? What's wrong?"

Although Beca's dreams had basically just came true, when Chloe not only kissed her, but also made it clear that she broke up with her boyfriend for her, the track star's long history of insecurities weren't ready to leave so easily.

"Chloe, I–Can we just..." Beca quickly glanced over at Jesse, "Can we not tell Jesse about what just happened?" Her eyes were filled with regret as Chloe's face slightly fell.

"W-Why not? Do you regret it?"

Beca's eyes widened, "No! Oh my God, no. I just–" Beca hated herself for her stupid insecurities. Why couldn't she just be normal and be able to handle emotions and feelings? Why did she always have to be so complicated?

Beca glanced over at Jesse again and sighed, looking back into the cheerleader's light eyes.

"Chloe, I swear I don't regret what just happened between us. I don't," she reassured. "But, I'm weird when it comes to this stuff and I–" Beca hesitated, but managed to force her way through the confession. "I really like you too." Chloe smiled at this, somewhat relieving Beca's worries and the brunette continued. "Can we please talk about this later?"

Chloe wanted nothing more than to flirt and do whatever she pleased with Beca in public and although the thought of still not being able to slightly brought her joy down, Chloe was very understanding and was more than willing to be patient with the younger girl.

The cheerleader gave her a soft, reassuring smile. "Sure, Bec."

The brunette smiled back, "Thank you."

After their brief conversation, the girls approached the car and it was almost like déjà vu. Beca tapped on the window and managed to startle Jesse once again. The boy jumped and clutched onto his chest, lowering the music and rolling down his window.

"Geez, Becaw! One of these days you're going to give me a heart attack!" Jesse then noticed Chloe come up from behind Beca and was surprised. "Oh, hey Chloe." He instantly grew confused, knowing that the last time he had seen Beca and Chloe in the same place, things didn't seem to end so well. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Chloe opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out when she realized she had to come up with a phony excuse as to why she was still at the school. She stood silent a few moments too long and Beca nervously glanced at her, before jumping in to her rescue.

"I just ran into her. She was studying in the library."

 _Perfect,_ Beca praised herself.

"Oh..." Jesse bought it at first, but then furrowed his brow, "So, how did you run into her?"

 _Shit._

"Uh..."

It was Chloe's turn to save the day, and thankfully, she did.

"I was on my way to my car," the redhead explained. Beca peered at her, brows raised and an impressed grin tugged on her lips.

"You have a car?"

Chloe smirked, "Mhm."

Jesse obliviously cut into their more-than-friendly gazes, "Cool! Well we're going to Billy's after stopping by our houses to freshen up. Wanna follow us? Or do you just wanna meet us at Billy's in an hour?"

Chloe pondered her options, but the light blush slowly creeping on Beca's face was persuading enough to convince the redhead to chose the first one.

"I think I'll just follow you guys. I can just hang with Beca while she gets ready." She turned to the shorter girl, "That's okay, right, Bec?" Her smile was innocent, but her eyes gleamed with mischief.

Beca gulped, "Y-Yeah, that's cool." She nonchalantly waved her hand around. "I don't care."

Oh, but did she care. Not only was Chloe going to her house, but knowing the redhead, she would probably follow Beca into her room and be there while Beca showered. The thought of it all made Beca uneasy.

"Great!" Chloe grinned. "I'll go get my car and follow you guys out." She looked at Beca, "See you soon," she winked. Beca widened her eyes cautiously as she watched the giggling redhead turn on her heel and make her way across the parking lot. Luckily the top of the window had cut off Jesse's view of the two and he missed the very flirtatious gesture.

The track star came around the other side of the car and got inside. She let out a huff as she plopped her bags down onto the floor. Jesse was about to turn the music back up, but stopped, wanting to confirm something first.

"So...I'm guessing you guys are friends again?"

Beca was buckling her seatbelt when the question threw her off guard. She kept herself occupied with the harness as she answered, so she wouldn't have to look at him.

"Yeah, we're cool."

Jesse narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "That's it? You guys are just, _cool?_ " Beca finally looked up at him and managed to maintain a calm and cool exterior.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't we be?" The curious boy blinked in surprise.

"I don't know. I mean after what happened last week, you've kind of seemed–"

 _*Beep Beep*_

Jesse was cut off by the sound of Chloe's car horn honking as she pulled up next to them. Beca was thankful for the interruption and took the opportunity to raise the volume of the music, hoping it would distract Jesse's attention and he wouldn't go back to finish his sentence. But unnoted by the brunette, Jesse picked up on the true purpose behind her action and took it as a hint to back off. He shifted his car and backed out of the parking space, smiling to himself, determined to gradually pursue Beca's persistent barriers.

Jesse parked in his driveway and directed Chloe to pull up in Beca's. The redhead eagerly exited her car and Beca moderately made her way next to the cheery Senior, struggling to control her 'I'm-not-nervous' attitude.

"Okay, Bec, wanna do the same as last week? An hour?"

Beca lifted her duffle bag strap on her shoulder and nodded, "Yeah, sure. That's fine."

"Okay, great!" he grinned, "See you guys in a bit." Jesse waved the girls off as he turned and walked towards his house. Beca looked at Chloe with a tight and some what anxious smile.

"So..." the track star started. She turned and faced her home, dramatically sticking her hands out towards it. "This is my house." Her obvious statement made the redhead bring her hand up to cover her giggle.

"Yeah, I figured."

Beca felt her cheeks heating up. Of course Chloe knew it was her home. Duh. Jesse did just say that that's where they were going.

"Right," Beca muttered, embarrassed.

The brunette made her way to the front door and Chloe followed behind. After fumbling with her keys, Beca eventually opened the door and let Chloe go in first.

"Hi, Mr. Mitchell."

After locking the door, Beca turned and found Chloe greeting her father, who looked up from his laptop and was clearly surprised to see one of his students in his home.

"Oh, hello Chloe."

Beca came to her side, "Hey, dad. I'm going to Billy's with Chloe and Jesse tonight. She's just here until I get changed."

Mr. Mitchell tittered. "Beca, it's fine. Just because she's one of my student's doesn't mean you can't have her over."

The brunette wasn't aware of how she made it sound as though she shouldn't have allowed Chloe to come over to her house. She now realized just how ridiculous that was and looked at the cheerleader, apologetically.

"Sorry," she briefly shook her head, "I didn't mean it like that, I just–"

Chloe chuckled, "It's okay, I get it. It's weird that your dad is my teacher." The redhead quickly turned her attention to the older man, "No offense, Mr. M," she smiled.

The teacher brought his hand up, "None taken."

Beca still felt awkward and didn't want the conversation to continue any further.

"Alright!" Beca abruptly exclaimed, grabbing ahold of Chloe's hand, "We're gonna go to my room now." She pulled the ginger along and guided them to her room. Beca opened her bedroom door and swiftly swung Chloe towards her bed. "You can just chill there."

Chloe smirked, "Wow, someone's eager to get me in their bed," she teased with a wink, making Beca's stomach do one of those uncontrollable flips that the redhead was always strangely capable of provoking.

Beca snickered, refusing to let the cheerleader know just how effective her flirty antics were on her.

"In your dreams, Beale."

Beca had her back facing the ginger while she closed the door and hadn't noticed Chloe sneak up behind her, until the brunette turned back around and jolted at the unexpected closeness between them. The cheerleader had her secured against the door and Beca could feel her throat tightening.

"Exactly." Chloe purred, eyeing the shorter girl's soft lips. But as quickly as the redhead had invaded her personal space, again, the cheerleader spun away and Beca released the breath she hadn't noticed she was holding.

"I love your room!" Chloe suddenly proclaimed, adorably tilting her head to one side as she looked around the newly organized room. She gasped when she spotted Beca's collection of photo booth strips on her wall and approached them. "These are so cute! I have a bunch of polaroids all over my walls at home," she mentioned.

The track star was still amazed at how Chloe's attitude could do a complete one-eighty flip in the blink of an eye, but ultimately decided to go along with it. She placed her bags on the floor and responded.

"Thanks. Yeah, I've been collecting them over the years." Chloe suddenly turned around with a grin.

"We should totes do one sometime! I wanna be on your wall." The track star chuckled. For a girl who was older than Beca, Chloe still had a child like wonder to her; a trait that Beca would normally find annoying in people, but with Chloe, it was adorable and charming.

"Slow down there, Beale." Beca opened one of her drawers and started taking out a change of clothes, "You're gonna have to at least buy me dinner first before you can be put up on my wall."

Chloe's eyebrows shot up, "Are you giving me permission to take you out on a date?"

There she goes again, with that flirty banter of hers. Beca came to the realization that Chloe would always be able to somehow make her senses go haywire, but Beca wanted to have some fun with it too. After all, two could play at that game.

Beca turned around, clothes in hand, and shrugged with a smirk, "Maybe I am." She crossed her arms, challenging the confident redhead. "Gonna do anything about it?"

Chloe enjoyed the playful shots Beca was reciprocating and slightly squinted her eyes.

"Don't tempt me," she smirked.

Their little game was engaging, but Chloe remembered an important comment the brunette had made earlier, and although she didn't want to ruin the mood, it wasn't something she could ignore. The cheerleader dropped her eyes for a moment, then looked back up to meet Beca's gaze.

"So, are we gonna talk now, or–?"

Beca's face fell and she retreated her attention to one of the buttons on the plaid shirt she had grabbed, fumbling with it.

"I really do wanna talk about–" _Us, me, you, being together,_ "everything." She looked at the redhead with sad but hopeful eyes. "Just, not yet."

Chloe was one of those girls who didn't hesitate to go after the things she really wanted. The journeys towards her desires were never necessarily easy, but nothing compared to the barriers Chloe was becoming more aware of, that came along with pursuing Beca Mitchell. Like hurdles on a track, Chloe was going to have to leap over the obstacles that stood in her way. But the cheerleader was driven and more than willing to choose that difficult path, determined to reach the finish line.

Chloe smiled softly, "Okay. We don't have to talk about it now. We can talk when you're ready." Relief washed over Beca's being and although the darker part of her conscience tried to convince her of doubt, Chloe's genuine eyes were enough to assure the brunette that everything was okay. _Chloe_ was okay.

"Thanks, Chloe." Beca smiled and after a few moments of comfortable staring, the track star remembered she still had to shower and get ready for Billy's. "Uh, s-so, I'm gonna go shower now." She nodded towards her bed, "You can just make yourself comfortable, or" she gestured to her small speaker, "listen to music?" She saw how Chloe was cutely looking at her and realized she was about to start rambling again. "–Er, ya know. Whatever you want," she shrugged.

Chloe giggled, "Thanks, Beca. I'll be alright."

"Right." Beca bit the inside of her cheek as she spun on her heel and strolled into her bathroom.

It felt weird taking a shower where Beca sometimes found herself fantasizing about the girl that was now just a few feet away from her, in her bedroom. The brunette didn't want to take too long, so she simply focused on getting clean and fortunately got out before too much time had passed. She got dressed in the bathroom, not wanting to risk dropping her towel in front of Chloe or even risk getting teased by the redhead in anyway. Beca re-entered her bedroom, fully changed, and felt a smile curve on her lips when she saw the cheerleader laying comfortably on Beca's bed. It was a sight the Beca could get use to.

Chloe had her earphones in as she laid on her stomach and watched a video on her phone. She was unable to hear the approaching brunette behind her and Beca couldn't resist the opportunity. She quickly grabbed ahold of Chloe's calves, startling the redhead and causing her to jump in surprise.

"Ah!" Chloe shrieked and instantly removed her earbuds as she swiftly turned around to face the laughing brunette. "God, Beca!" she breathed, "You scared me!"

"Sorry, Beale." Beca continued to laugh, "It was just too easy."

"Mhmm," Chloe hummed and playfully shoved the track star. "So are you ready now?"

"Almost. Just gonna touch up my eyeliner and figure out what I'm gonna do with my hair." Beca said, holding out her ponytail to compliment her statement.

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip before finally asking, "Can I do your hair?"

Beca snickered, "You wanna do my hair?"

"Yeah!" Chloe grinned and hopped off the bed. She grabbed Beca's computer chair and moved it over to the mirror, patting the seat so Beca would sit down. The track star smiled and was curious to find out how exactly the cheerleader was planning on styling her hair.

Beca plopped down in the chair and Chloe spun it around so the brunette could face the mirror.

"Any requests?" Chloe asked.

The brunette shook her head, "Nope. Surprise me."

"Okay." The redhead sang. She turned on the younger girl's curling iron and gently pulled out the hair tie that had held her ponytail up.

"Just please, no pigtails." Beca implored.

Chloe laughed, "Don't worry. I wouldn't do that to you." She ran her fingers through Beca's soft hair and the sensation sent tingles throughout the smaller girl's body. Chloe's hands felt amazing against her scalp and the ginger lightly massaged small circles into her hair as she waited for the iron to heat up. Beca closed her eyes and let the cheerleader continue her magic. Chloe could tell the brunette was enjoying the treatment and added a little more pressure to her movements. Beca was completely lost in pure bliss and involuntarily released a breathy moan. She instantly snapped her eyes opened and found Chloe smirking in the reflection.

"Yeah, I know I'm good," she winked, making Beca blush. Chloe then removed her hands, much to Beca's disappointment, and picked up the curling iron. She began lightly curling big strands of the track star's hair, but she only curled it halfway. After Chloe was done with that, she shut off the iron and grabbed the hair tie she had removed earlier. The redhead gently pulled back the top half of Beca's hair, leaving two loose strands around her face, and tied it into a small ponytail. Beca didn't interrupt the girl's process and simply watched as she then found her wide tooth comb and mildly ran it through her curls, loosening them, and giving her hair a nice, wavy look.

Beca was impressed and had to admit, she looked good. Chloe officially finished her work and smiled.

"Okay, all done!" She brought her face down next to Beca's and continued to smile at the brunette through the mirror. "You like it?"

"Yeah, it looks great." Beca answered honestly, switching her head from side to side to check out her new do from every angle.

"Thanks." Chloe nuzzled a little closer into Beca's cheek, "I think it looks really pretty on you." Beca turned to face the redhead and immediately felt her heart hammer in her chest. There goes her personal space again, right out the window.

Beca nervously watched as Chloe bit her bottom lip and eyed the brunette's. The temperature was rising between them and Chloe knew exactly what she wanted, but for Beca's sake, she still wanted to ask.

"Can I kiss you?" Her voice was quiet and she kept her gaze on Beca's soft lips.

The question made Beca's breath hitch in her throat, but she definitely wasn't opposed to it. She found herself at a loss for words and could only nod her head in response. Chloe smiled, happy to see the track star was okay with it, then softly cupped Beca's cheek and slowly closed brought their lips together.

The kiss was sweet and gentle. Similar to their previous kiss in the locker room, but not as impulsive or intense. This one was patient and filled with something Beca couldn't quite put her finger on. Chloe moved her lips against the Beca's and the brunette mirrored the action, sighing through her nose and slipping her hand into Chloe's red locks. She gently pulled the cheerleader closer to her and pushed herself further into the kiss.

Chloe could feel things heating up between them and she wanted nothing more than to take things as far as they could go. But maybe that's not what Beca wanted and so despite her strong urges, Chloe decided that this was good enough for now. The redhead pulled away and reluctantly ended the delightful kiss. She lightly giggled at the dazed look expressed on Beca's face and brought the girl back to reality.

Chloe playfully poked her nose, "You should finish getting ready."

Beca blinked her vision back to normal and her all of her senses rushed back to their natural order.

"Oh, yeah. I just–" Beca looked at herself in the mirror and made a circling gesture to her eyes. "I'm just gonna touch this up and then we'll go."

"Okay!" Chloe gleed and turned to collect her phone and earbuds off of Beca's bed. After the track star finished reapplying her eye makeup, she got up from the chair and looked at Chloe, who was sitting on her bed, playing with her phone.

"Okay, I'm ready."

The cheerleader looked up from the screen and scanned her eyes over the brunette's now completed attire.

"Cute," she grinned and stood up, interlocking their arms. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Aww, aren't these two just the cutest? x)**

 **Come visit me on Tumblr at: not-so-average-fangirl**

 **Let me know what you thought! Thanks beautiful people! ;)**

 **Stay tuned!**


	12. Our Little Secret

**Author's 1st Note: Okay, can I just say you guys are amazing? Like seriously. You have no idea how much your comments and reviews mean to me and I am _so_ happy to know you guys are really enjoying my story. Thank you so much for taking the time out to read it. :)**

 **Enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

The drive to Billy's was cheerful and entertaining. Jesse and Chloe enthusiastically sang along to whatever song played on the radio. Beca was impressed that they knew all of the words and was beginning to think that their brains had a major compartment for storing musical lyrics. But the brunette didn't complain, Jesse and Chloe had great voices; Especially Chloe. The performers tried to encourage the track star to join in, but Beca still wasn't comfortable enough to sing in front of them.

The trio eventually arrived at the busy restaurant and entered. After acknowledging a few friends, the group finally sat down at a booth. Jesse sat on one side, while Beca slid into the other and Chloe joined her. As the girls settled in, their thighs remained touching and Beca found herself surprisingly comfortable with the closeness.

"Hey, this is our first time at Billy's together." Chloe brightly pointed out. The younger girl's brows rose as she looked at her.

"Oh yeah, huh?" The brunette pouted her bottom lip and slightly nodded her head as she processed the new information. "Well this calls for a celebration then."

Chloe snickered, "And how are we going to celebrate?"

Beca didn't answer right away and instead, looked at the menu. She quickly scanned the front, then turned it around to view the back.

"Wanna skip food and just order desserts?" she asked, with a crooked grin. It wasn't the best idea in the world, but it was the only one she could think of.

"Ooh, yeah! I'm totes down." Chloe gleed and playfully nudged the track star with her shoulder. "Great idea, Bec," she smirked. Jesse had remained silent the entire time, as he watched the interesting exchange between the two girls in front of him. Something was different. He couldn't quite peg exactly what it was, but something had definitely changed between them.

Jesse brought a fist up to his mouth and cleared his throat, reminding the girls that he was still there.

"Oh, sorry, Jesse." Chloe said, snapping out of hers and Beca's little world. "Do you want to order food, or," she subconsciously leaned a little closer towards Beca, "do you want to join us in our celebration?" She smiled.

Jesse shifted his eyes between the redhead and the brunette. Whatever was going on between them, he had to admit he liked it. Beca seemed a lot happier than she had been throughout the entire week.

"I call dibs on the apple pie," he answered, more than happy to join in on their silly occasion.

"Awes!" Chloe beamed, then looked at the menu with Beca to figure out what she wanted to order.

The track star felt Jesse's gaze on her and glanced at him through the corner of her eye. Sure enough, she found her neighbor wearing a peculiar smirk as he looked at her curiously. Beca didn't want to seek out the reasoning behind his look and decided to just ignore him, returning her focus to the menu in her hand.

* * *

Their sweet tooth got the better of them and the teenagers not only ordered desserts for dinner, but also milkshakes as beverages. Beca originally just wanted to order water, but Chloe had convinced her to "live a little", so the track star ordered an Oreo shake as well.

The peers chatted as they waited for their drinks and Beca was thankful Jesse didn't continue to suspiciously look at her the way he had been earlier. There was no need for Chloe to notice and question why he was doing so.

The waitress eventually came back and placed their shakes on the table. Jesse ordered a Root Beer Float and didn't hold back his dramatic approval of his choice by humming loudly as he rapidly took in big swigs of the cold drink. Beca laughed when he eventually got a brain freeze and squeezed his eyes shut, gripping his head and groaning in pain. Chloe couldn't help but giggle too, but ultimately asked if he was okay. She grabbed ahold of her straw, beginning to take a sip of her strawberry milkshake, when she suddenly tensed up and nervously eyed the main entrance.

Beca noticed her abrupt physical change and grew concerned. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked. When Chloe didn't answer, Beca looked over and saw Tom walking in with four of his friends. "Shit..." she quietly muttered, but Jesse still heard it.

"What? What's the matter?" He turned his neck to figure out what they were looking at. "Oh, it's Tom." He turned back to face the girls but their anxious and nervous glares were still expressed, which confused him. "What's wrong with Tom?"

"She broke up with him." Beca promptly answered, trying to shut the boy up. She succeeded when Jesse fully understood the situation and just said, "Oh" in reply. He looked back to watch the boy and found himself wondering if this had anything to do with Beca's positive change in mood as of late.

Beca wouldn't necessarily use the word "affectionate" to describe herself, but she could see how much Tom's presence was negatively affecting Chloe and she wanted to ease her nerves somehow. Beca looked down and found Chloe's hand, gently placing her own on top of it. The unexpected contact was instantly accepted by the cheerleader and she slightly relaxed without looking away from Tom. The redhead shifted her hand around so she could interlock their fingers together and lightly squeezed.

Tom hadn't noticed Chloe until he and his group were lead to their table. Her distinct red hair caught his attention and he looked over to meet her sympathetic eyes. His smile instantly fell and they shared a brief, awkward moment filled with many mixed emotions. But this wasn't the time or the place to talk about it. They both knew that. Tom was the first one to break the tense staring and like the flip of a switch, he changed back into the happy and confident jock that he was.

Chloe sighed and slightly dropped her head. Yes she really like Beca, there was no doubt about that, but she and Tom had history. They were friends; good friends. And Chloe couldn't help but still feel bad about the whole thing.

"Hey, it's okay." Beca whispered, leaning in closer to Chloe's ear. The redhead turned to thank her, underestimating the amount of distance she had between her, and their faces wound up close enough to have their noses touch. The closeness between them caused both girls to briefly glance down at each other's lips, before quickly coming back to their senses and remembering they weren't suppose to be a "thing". They instantly separated to a much more appropriate distance and Chloe reluctantly released her hand from Beca's, tucking a piece of hair back behind her ear.

"Thanks, Bec."

Beca gulped down their moment and nodded, trying to be as nonchalant as she possibly could.

"You're welcome."

Okay, Jesse was definitely not just seeing things. What the hell was that about? Something was clearly going on amongst the two girls and he had a gut feeling that the break up with Tom had a part in whatever it was. Jesse had his assumptions and secretly had his fingers crossed, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Instead, he planned to just keep a close eye on the two, until he found himself some hard evidence that something much more than friendship was going on between them.

"You alright, Chloe?" Jesse asked, genuinely concerned.

The cheerleader looked up at him, "Yeah, I'll be alright. Thanks," she softly smiled. Jesse gave an understanding smile in return and decided to uplift the off mood by telling one of his many whimsical jokes. It surprisingly worked and luckily Tom's table was somewhere behind the girls. The lack of a visual helped get their minds off of the boy and they were able to go back to enjoying their time out.

* * *

Their desserts finally arrived and the teenagers didn't hesitate to dig in. Jesse did in fact order the apple pie and looked like an adorable child when his tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth as he cut into his first piece. Chloe ordered the Hot Fudge Cake and convinced Beca it was big enough for the two of them to share. It turned out to be true and Beca eyed the monstrous dessert with wide eyes. A thick and decent sized chocolate cake sat underneath four scoops of vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and nuts piled on top.

"Woah..." Beca gaped. Chloe already had a spoonful in her mouth and turned to the stunned track star.

"What?" Chloe mumbled, still holding the spoon in her mouth.

"Are you sure we can finish this thing?" The cheerleader pulled the spoon out of her mouth and briefly examined the treat. She shrugged.

"We can definitely try," she laughed. Beca chuckled at Chloe's enthusiasm and looked over at Jesse.

"How's yours, Jess?" She asked. The boy's mouth was full and he looked like a chipmunk as he nodded and gave her a thumbs up in response. Beca hadn't picked up her spoon yet and was taken aback when it suddenly appeared in front of her face with the cake and ice cream already on it.

"Don't make me eat this thing all alone." Chloe pouted with puppy dog eyes as she slowly moved the utensil closer to Beca's mouth. The brunette didn't budge, stubbornly tightening her mouth shut and fighting the urge to smile. The redhead bit her bottom lip with a grin and teased Beca's lips with the spoon.

"Come on..." Chloe toyed.

The track star couldn't hold back any longer and playfully narrowed her eyes at the ginger as she slowly opened her mouth. Chloe smiled and pushed the dessert in, waiting for the younger girl to completely close her mouth around the spoon before she finally let it go.

"Chloe."

The sudden voice caught everyone at the table off guard and all three teenagers looked up to see where it came from.

"Aubrey." Chloe smiled, "Hey."

The blonde glanced over at Beca with bothered eyes, then looked back at Chloe.

"Chloe, can I talk to you for a sec?"

The redhead wasn't aware of what Aubrey really meant, "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

"No," Aubrey looked at Beca again, "alone."

Chloe grew confused, "Oh, okay. Yeah, of course." She slid out of the booth and looked at her friends before leaving, "I'll be back you guys."

Beca watched suspiciously as Chloe was lead by her best friend out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. Something about the way Aubrey had glared at her made the brunette worry about what she wanted to talk to Chloe about.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Chloe was startled by her friend's unexpected attack and furrowed her brow.

"What are you talking about?"

Aubrey scoffed, "Seriously, Chloe? You broke up with Tom for _her_? What were you thinking?"

Chloe's jaw dropped and she found herself quickly growing defensive. How dare Aubrey? What was it to her if she broke up with Tom for Beca? It was none of her business. And Beca is a great person, Chloe didn't understand what Aubrey's problem was with her. The redhead was about to defend her reasoning but immediately remembered how Beca didn't want to tell anyone about what had happened between them just yet. Her thoughts flashed in an instant and she quickly change her response; despite her true desire to just tell Aubrey off and defend Beca whole heartedly.

"Aubrey, what are you talking about? Yes, I broke up with Tom, but it wasn't because of Beca," she argued. Chloe hated that she had to do this.

The blonde wasn't convinced and crossed her arms, "Yeah, right. Then why did you break up with him and why are you out with her right now?"

Chloe couldn't believe how crude and intrusive Aubrey was being. She felt her tolerance level rapidly dwindling.

"Okay, first of all, I'm sorry but I don't have to explain myself to you–"

Aubrey gawked, "Excuse m–" Chloe didn't let her finish and continued.

"But since you insist on knowing my business, then you should know that I broke up with Tom because I'm not attracted to him anymore and have felt myself drifting away from him for quite some time now. Alright?"

"Funny how this happens after that Beca girl joins our school." The blonde sneered.

Okay. Chloe had enough.

"Aubrey, stop it! This has nothing to do with Beca! I already told you she's just a friend. Why won't you believe me?" _Probably because you're lying through your teeth._

"Because, Chloe! I know how you get when you like someone and I see the way you look at her. I mean hell, I just saw you feeding the girl not five minutes ago! Don't lie to me."

Her last words hit a soft spot in Chloe's heart. She didn't want to have to lie to her best friend, she loved Aubrey and they had been friends for years. But maybe Beca was on to something. Chloe had always looked on the positive side of things and always believed in the best of people. But so far, her feelings for Beca had caused more negativity and drama that she never thought would. Maybe they _should_ keep what was really going on between them a secret.

At least for a little while.

After processing everything, Chloe just rolled her eyes.

"Aubrey, that's all in your head. I don't like her that way. She's just really cool and nice and so far she's been a pretty awesome friend." Aubrey opened her mouth to contest, but Chloe quickly added, "And that feeding her thing didn't mean anything. We were just kidding around."

Aubrey squinted her eyes skeptically at her friend. She wanted to believe her. Why would Chloe lie to her?

Aubrey quirked an eyebrow, "You're sure you don't have _any_ kind of feelings for her?"

Chloe nodded reassuringly, "I'm sure."

"Swear it."

Fuck. This was such a difficult situation. Aubrey was stubborn, Chloe knew this. And she also knew if she didn't swear it, her friend would never believe her. Chloe didn't like this one bit, but she had to do what she had to do.

"I swear."

Aubrey kept her stance for a few more moments, scanning Chloe's eyes for any faults, but the redhead managed to maintain her convincing front. The blonde finally dropped her arms and eased her suspicions.

"Alright, fine. I believe you."

Chloe let out a breath of relief and smiled, "Good. Thank you." They stood silent for a moment and although Chloe didn't really want Aubrey to join them, she also didn't want to be rude and pointed over her shoulder with her thumb, "So, did you wanna come join us? Or are you already meeting someone here?"

Aubrey waved off her offer, "No thanks. I was actually on my way to Stacie's, but I stopped in case you were here so I could speak to you in person."

Chloe snickered, "That's kind of stalker-ish."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad I did. I hate having serious conversations over the phone. It just doesn't have the same affect."

"You mean it's not as intimidating?" Chloe smirked.

Aubrey laughed, "Exactly."

* * *

Jesse had already finished his dessert and Beca was about halfway through hers by the time Chloe came back into the restaurant. The track star watched the redhead, searching her demeanor for any negative signs, but was glad to see she seemed just fine.

"I'm back!" Chloe smiled, settling back into her seat. She looked at the cake and was stunned at how far Beca had gotten. "So you liked it, huh?" Chloe teased, picking up her own spoon so she could enjoy the other half.

Beca shrugged, "Eh, just a little," she joked, earning a giggle from the cute redhead. Chloe looked over at Jesse who was leaning back in the booth with his eyes closed, mouth hanging open, and his hands were on his stomach.

"Are you full, Jesse?" Chloe asked, already knowing the answer. The boy lazily brought his head up and slowly nodded.

"Yup," he muttered, then dropped his head back onto the seat.

The girls laughed at their humorous peer and Chloe went back to finishing their dessert. Beca had a few more bites, but her stomach couldn't handle anymore sweetness. She sipped on her water and couldn't help but wonder what Aubrey had talked to Chloe about. She still had a gut feeling that the conversation involved her some how. Her curiosity was a little overwhelming, but Beca didn't want to be nosy.

* * *

After Jesse parked in his driveway and everyone got out of his car, he bid the girls a goodnight and indolently strolled into his house. Beca walked with Chloe to her car and a tangible silence fell between them when they realized they were now alone. Beca nervously kept her hands in her pockets, while Chloe fiddled with her keys, mustering up the courage she needed to break the tension.

"So, uh– I had a lot of fun tonight." She smiled, slightly leaning back against her car to look at Beca.

The brunette smiled back, "Yeah, me too. I'm glad you came."

"Well thanks for inviting me." Chloe grinned. She couldn't keep the conversation going without getting to what she really wanted to talk about. It was now or never.

"Beca, can we talk now?" She asked, with hopeful eyes, "I'm sorry if you're still not ready, but I really need to talk to you about us."

 ** _Us._** That was a new term Beca wasn't quite familiar with just yet. She knew they had to talk eventually, and although her nerves and unsettling stomach were fighting against it, Beca figured it would be best to just get their talk over with.

"S-Sure, Chloe." Beca brought one of her hands up to scratch the back of her neck, "Um, I'm not really sure what you wanna–"

"I don't think we should tell anyone either." Chloe hadn't meant to blurt it out, but the thought had been building up inside her since her talk with Aubrey and she just couldn't hold it in any longer.

Beca blinked. "O-Oh..." The track star avoided eye contact, not wanting to show how much the statement actually hurt her, but her drop in expression was still noticeable. "Okay. I mean, yeah that's probably best." Beca looked everywhere but at Chloe as she spoke and the redhead could see her growing anxious, "We don't have to go any further with this. We can just forget it ever happen." Chloe was baffled at the way Beca had taken her suggestion and felt terrible. She quickly reached out for the brunette's hand when the shorter girl began turning away to head into her house.

"No, wait Beca!" Chloe managed to catch her hand in time and stop her, turning her back around so she could face her. "Oh my gosh, no. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Now Beca was the one confused and she furrowed her brow.

"Then how did you mean it?"

Chloe sighed and grabbed ahold of Beca's other hand. "Well remember how Aubrey wanted to speak to me in private earlier?"

Beca's eyes dropped, "It was about me, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Chloe nodded, and looked down as she started rubbing small circles on Beca's hands with her thumbs. "I don't understand what her issue is with you, but basically she took me outside to yell at me about how I was crazy to break up with Tom for you."

Beca's head instantly snapped up, "Did you tell her that's what you did?"

Chloe hesitated, "No," and nervously bit her lip as she looked at her, "Does that, bother you?"

A small part of Beca did find the news a little upsetting, but then again she really had no room to complain. It _was_ her idea in the first place to not come out with their sudden shift in relationship.

The track star casually shrugged, "I mean, I did ask you to not tell anyone about it first. Can't blame you for going through with it." She lightly chuckled, trying to reassure the redhead that she really wasn't that upset about it.

"Yeah," Chloe breathed. She slowly leaned forward and rested her forehead on Beca's. "You know I meant it when I said I really liked you. I do. And at first I was totally fine with letting the whole world know about it, but–" she stared hard into Beca's dark orbs, connecting with the brunette on a much deeper level. "But maybe we shouldn't tell people about us just yet. I don't know why things aren't turning out as smooth as I thought they would be."

Beca could hear the reluctancy in the cheerleader's voice. She could tell Chloe' wasn't embarrassed by her or anything like that, but the cheerleader did have a point. Beca could only imagine the kind of heat Chloe would get from her other friends. She was popular after all and her previous relationship was known by many of their peers. Beca knew how High School worked and she didn't want to be the reason Chloe received any unnecessary drama from her friends. Plus on the positive side, Beca viewed the privacy as an opportunity for her to get more comfortable around the redhead and without having to worry about what anyone around them would say; not that she would really care anyway.

Beca titled Chloe's chin up and softly smiled when she met her stunning blue eyes.

"Chloe, it's fine. I totally understand. We can see where this goes and just keep it between us."

The redhead felt relieved to hear her say that, but doubtfully chewed on her bottom lip. She wanted to make sure Beca wasn't just saying it out of obligation.

"Are you sure?"

Beca smiled and squeezed their hands in affirmation. "I'm sure." The brunette felt herself being pulled in by some kind of invisible force and leant in closer to the cheerleader. "It'll be our little secret," she smirked.

Chloe felt her heart beat increase when their lips lightly brushed against each other. She loved the way Beca made her feel. The brunette had some mystical way of making her heart feel like a fifty pound weight, while the rest of her body felt as light as a feather. It was an addicting sensation that Chloe had never felt with anyone before; not even with Tom.

"Can I kiss you?" She urged and Beca grinned.

"You don't have to ask," she explained, and instantaneously moved in to capture the cheerleader's lips in a warm kiss. Beca didn't want to push things just yet and fought hard to hold back her tongue. The moment was sweet and endearing and both girls wanted to keep it that way; even though their hormones were craving so much more.

Beca was the first to back away and smiled at the older girl, a bit dazed. Kissing Chloe was intoxicating and she always felt a sense of euphoria afterward. It was something Beca had never experienced before and damn did she like it.

Chloe smiled and placed a quick kiss on the brunette's cheek.

"Goodnight, Beca."

The track star smiled back, "Goodnight, Chloe."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Ugh, the CUTENESS! I absolutely love writing fluffiness between these two. It just brightens my day. x)**

 **Not gonna say exactly what happens next chapter, but it will definitely have some ups and downs.**

 **DON'T WORRY! I promise you will ultimately love it. ;)**

 **Stay tuned! :D**


	13. Balancing in Heels

**Author's 1st Note: I am sooo sorry this update took so long. I had actually written over 2,000 words for it a few days ago, but absolutely hated where it was going. I scratched it all and completely re-started the entire chapter two days ago.**

 **I personally think this version is way better and I hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **Also, PLEASE forgive me if this chapter seems to have more grammatical errors, and/or a roughish flow to it. It's really late right now and I'm actually suppose to be up super early tomorrow, (well technically today), so I didn't re-read and correct everything like I usually do. I will hopefully get to that tomorrow and re-post a cleaner version then.**

 **Alright, now who's ready for some mixed emotions?! xD**

* * *

Beca wasn't exactly sure how Chloe managed to convince her, but then again, Beca wasn't really sure how the redhead always seemed to alter her traditional and set ways. A single look from the gorgeous cheerleader and Beca's trained habits would just throw themselves out the window. It was a mystery. A mystery incapable of being solved, no matter how much time the brunette spent with her redheaded damsel.

The track star huffed in frustration as she held the sixth shirt choice over her figure and stared at herself through her mirror.

"Fuck!" She fussed. Why was nothing good enough? Why now? The clock was ticking and Beca was running out of time to fully get ready for the stupid party at Stacie's. Why did Chloe have to invite her when she had **absolutely nothing** to wear!?

Beca threw the garment aside with a groan. "That's it!" She shook her head and dropped down onto her computer chair. "I'm not going." She flipped open her laptop and tried to convince herself that she was definitely not going to go and that nothing was going to change her mind. But almost as if it were on cue, Beca heard her cell phone go off and she lazily got up to see who had messaged her.

"Of course," Beca muttered, when Chloe's name was displayed on the screen.

 ** _Chloe:_** _Can't wait to see u ;)_

Of course Chloe would text her that very instant with a message that shouldn't make Beca's cheeks heat up, but it does. The track star rolled her eyes, knowing her stubbornness had already dwindled the moment she saw the redhead's name. This girl was going to be the death of her. Beca ran her fingers through her hair and let out a long, surrendering sigh.

"Damn it." After a few moments spent on collecting herself, the brunette walked back over to the tossed shirt and put it back in it's rightful place in her closet. She eyed her clothing options, forcing herself to just pick something. Beca didn't want to dress to formal, that would just be dumb, but she also, secretly, wanted to impress Chloe. This was the first party they were going to attend together. Granted, yes, it was a typical, cliché high school party, but Beca still viewed it as an opportunity to show off her feminine side that she so rarely expressed.

A few more minutes passed before Beca finally settled on a black, button down blouse and a pair of dark skinny jeans; A change of pace from her usual, lose fitting jeans. And instead of wearing her typical converse sneakers, Beca decided that the black, short heeled boots her aunt gave her last year for her birthday, were a much better choice for the occasion.

Beca managed to shower and get dressed with enough time left to put a little more effort into her hair and makeup. She added a thin layer of top eyeliner, which took more than one attempt to get it just right; not to mention the use of a q-tip to erase some of the imperfections. Beca also curled her hair a bit more and as she curled the last strand, she heard the doorbell ring.

Stunned, Beca quickly turned her cell phone screen on and realized she was officially out of time.

"Shit!" She frantically turned off the iron and looked at herself in the mirror. Something was still missing and she sucked her teeth when she couldn't peg what it was fast enough. The doorbell rang again, triggering the brunette to desperately search for a possible solution.

"Bec! The door!" She heard her father shout from the living room, but was too occupied with her search to reply.

Luck appeared to be on her side that night as she looked over her drawer and spotted a bobby pin. Beca hastily stuck it in her hair and pinned back the left side. She quickly scanned her new look and released a breath in relief. That was exactly what she needed. Beca quickly grabbed her phone and house keys, rushing to get to the front door so she could greet Chloe, only to be abruptly stopped by the redhead, when she dashed around the corner and accidentally crashed into her.

"Ow!" Chloe winced, tightly shutting her eyes in pain, but suddenly opening them back up when she heard a weakening _"woah''_ escape the smaller girl's lips. Beca wasn't use to heels and felt herself falling backwards, losing her balance. Chloe instantly reacted and immediately wrapped her arm around the track star's waist, pulling her flush against her and grinned.

"Hey, klutz." Chloe giggled, still holding on to the clumsy brunette. After letting the slight pain on her head and chest subside, Beca opened her eyes and was met with brilliant sapphires. She felt stupid and embarrassed for what had just happened, but the genuineness glowing in Chloe's eyes calmly tamed the critical part of Beca's brain that always negatively judged her actions and mistakes. It was surprising, but also relieving.

"Heh, sorry." Beca breathed. She felt as though her entire being was on fire as Chloe held her in place. Beca wanted to stay there forever if she could. Being in Chloe's arms felt strangely familiar and unusually safe. But Beca's father was still in the house and the brunette anticipated he would soon turn the corner to see what the commotion was about. The brunette reluctantly released her grip on the backside of Chloe's hot pink top and stepped back. "You okay?" She asked, concerned.

Chloe let out a light chuckle, "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm used to you running into me," she winked.

Beca was directly remind of the first time they had spoken to each other in the locker room; which was in fact a result of Beca's unwanted ability to constantly humiliate herself in front of the redhead.

The track star snickered at the memory, "Hey, that was an accident," she defended.

Chloe blithely shrugged, "If you say so," she teased. An unintended silence fell between them, when Chloe permitted herself to take in the alluring sight that was Beca Mitchell. She raked her approving eyes up and down the younger girl's figure and thoroughly enjoyed her choice in attire. Chloe thought Beca looked attractive in anything, especially in her track wear, but the way that blouse was outlining her curves perfectly, and the way those tight jeans were hugging her toned and defined legs, made Chloe's skin crawl and tickle around her neck. Beca was gorgeous.

The same could certainly be said about the redhead. Beca could feel Chloe's intense eyes physically burning her skin where ever they landed, but the track star didn't mind it and couldn't resist her own urge to reciprocate the action. Chloe's hair was straightened and angled her face beautifully. The loose, hot pink, sleeveless top she wore brought out her bright blue eyes and the capri jeans and wedge heeled, tan sandals really completed the outfit. Beca couldn't help but think she looked adorably hot.

As Beca's desiring eyes traveled back up to meet Chloe's, her attention was abruptly captured by the sudden appearance of her father standing behind the unaware cheerleader. Beca swallowed and widened her eyes.

"Everything alright in here?" He asked, wondering what the first few noises were and curious as to why it then became quiet. Chloe's eyes widened as well and she pivoted around to look at her Chemistry teacher.

Beca briefly cleared her throat, "Everything's fine. I just bumped into Chloe and almost fell." She explained, which was the truth, but Beca still, for some odd reason, felt the familiar nerves that would stir up when ever she would lie about something.

Chloe had always been good with parents and easily smiled at Mr. Mitchell, concealing the short moment she had just experienced with his daughter.

"Yeah, I saved her life." She joked, earning an honest chuckle from the older man.

"Well you're my hero, Miss. Beale. I owe you." He grinned, completely oblivious to the different kind of chemistry going on between the two girls.

Beca was growing antsy and wanted to just leave as soon as possible. Before she could come up with anything to say that would get the out of the house faster, her father thankfully answered her prayers.

"Alright, well, I hope you girls have fun tonight." He smiled and moved aside to allow the teenagers enough space so they could slip by and exit the hallway. The girls didn't hesitate and swiftly made their way out. "Be safe you guys!" Mr. Mitchell hollered, knowing his request went unheard when the sound of the front door shutting close encircled the house.

Beca locked the door and walked off the porch with Chloe following behind. They crossed the lawn, approaching Chloe's car, but stopped when the redhead spoke up.

"Hey, Bec?"

"Yeah?" She responded, turning to face the cheerleader and whimpering in surprise when Chloe suddenly pressed their lips together. The flames instantly ignited in the pit of Beca's stomach and her eyes instinctively fluttered closed as she eagerly kissed her back. She slipped a hand around the ginger's neck and grasped, pulling her closer and moving her lips in sync with hers. Nothing felt as good as kissing Chloe Beale.

The redhead was the one to eventually break the kiss and she smirked as she moved back.

"I couldn't say it earlier because your dad was in there," she bit her bottom lip and lowered her eyes to glance at Beca's figure one more time, "but you look so hot tonight."

Beca could feel the goosebumps rising on her skin as the redhead removed her hand from her cheek and glided her fingers down the smaller's girls lean arm. Chloe was being unbelievably sexy and the only way Beca could think of replying was by grabbing her and pulling her in for another quick kiss, enjoying the slight taste of strawberries, the track star assumed came from Chloe's lip gloss.

Beca separated from the cheerleader, but kept their faces fairly close.

"Not as hot as you," she almost growled.

A spark lustered in Chloe's eyes and a wide smile slowly spread across her face. She never thought a simple sentence could turn her on as much as that one just did. Chloe really took pleasure in this new, somewhat mischievous side to Beca. The brief teaser of the brunette's hidden, impish behaviors was enough to intrigue the redhead's curiosity, and she couldn't wait to find out just how far that shadowy void went on.

"You're good." Chloe commended, using her thumb to lightly wipe the shiny substance she noted on Beca's lower lip. The track star snickered.

"You could've left it there, ya know." Beca smiled, coyly; unsure of where this confident, flirtatious side of her was coming from; but she embraced it none the less. Chloe quirked an eyebrow, questioning her comment and the brunette shrugged, "It tasted good."

The cheerleader grinned and leaned forward, "Well, in that case–" The kiss was the same as all of the others they had shared, but Chloe had never felt this... _"pent up"_ , when kissing the younger track star before. Beca's soft lips moving against hers at the moment was just too exhilarating for her urges to remain placid. It was no longer possible for her to subdue her longing desires. Chloe poked out her tongue and tentatively skimmed it across Beca's bottom lip. The impulsive action caused the smaller girl to suddenly gasp and widen her eyes.

Chloe immediately feared she may have taken things too far and panicked. "I-I'm sorry!" She atoned, "I didn't mean to–Mmph!" Her unnecessary apology was gratefully cut off by Beca's impatient lips reattaching themselves to hers. The redhead was delightfully surprised to feel the brunette's tongue pressing against her mouth, begging for entrance, and Chloe happily granted her access, moaning in approval as she snaked her way inside.

Their tongues danced heedlessly, being lead by unfeasible ambition, rather than controllable purpose. But they didn't care. The electrifying sensations that surged throughout their bodies, easily outweighed their sloppy actions.

It was clear they both wanted this. The evidence in Beca's gripping hands around Chloe's waist, attempting to keep her as close as possible, and the Chloe's continuous hums of pleasure that sounded with every swipe of her tongue.

If it wasn't for the complete lack of oxygen in their lungs, and the fact that they were suppose to be going somewhere, both girls would have gladly stayed put in their wonderful make out session. But alas, their bodies were just too deprived to continue any further. They breathlessly separated and remained panting as they blinked their eyes open and stared at each other in awe and wonderment.

"Wow..." Beca breathed, not really knowing what else she could possibly say as her body gradually came down from it's blissful high.

"I know." Chloe grinned and lightly chuckled as she admired Beca's mystified state. Her flushed cheeks and somewhat disheveled hair suited her; or so Chloe thought. The redhead took a moment to correct some of the untamed strands that stuck out from Beca's hair and fixed the bobby pin that had become a bit loose during their heated session. After the minor adjustments, Chloe looked at her and smiled. "Ready to go?"

The track star had no choice but to return an elated grin and nodded her head. "Definitely."

Chloe maintained her smile as she pulled out her car keys and pressed the button to unlock the doors. "Then let's go."

* * *

Stacie's large house was booming by the time Beca and Chloe had arrived. Shifting bright colors could be seen through the closed curtains and the loud music could be heard from the end of the block. The track star and the cheerleader made their way to the front door, along with a few other teenagers that were just arriving.

Beca looked around and noted the other houses close by and couldn't help but ask, "How does Stacie keep her neighbors from calling the cops?"

Chloe shrugged, "She bribes them." The redhead casually answered, as if there was nothing unusual about it. Beca pondered the humorous idea and gave a momentary nod in understanding.

She followed closely behind Chloe as they entered the and maneuvered through the crowd. Teenagers from all walks of life filled the house, erupting loud, incomprehensible conversations and thickening the air with their radiating body heat. Beca looked around as she was navigated by the upbeat redhead and snickered at the memory of the last house party she had attended.

It took place during her Freshman year and much like this one, Beca had been persuaded by her friends to join them in the juvenile festivity. The track star reluctantly went with them and wasn't impressed by the predictable towers of red solo cups, handsy teenagers and the collection of adolescent hormones that piloted the every regrettable decision made that night. However, she had certainly been entertained by the intoxicated youngsters who were under the impression that they were the best comedians that ever walked the planet. Overall, it had been an interesting experience, and although she did have some fun, it wasn't enticing enough the persuade the brunette to purposely attend another high school party.

That is until now, when a particular, and almost irresistible, redhead invited her to come along.

The cheerleader was in search of her co-captain and best friend and after having no luck finding them in the house, Chloe concluded they must have been outside. She reached a hand behind her and signaled Beca to grab ahold so they could stay together as they squeezed through the crowded kitchen and made their way out the patio doors.

Beca wasn't surprised to find that the backyard was just as packed and rowdy as the inside. Stacie was very popular, and let's face it really attractive. Top that with being rich and having a giant house to freely throw parties in, and you had yourself a social goddess. The track star observed her surroundings; Some people were in the pool and hot tub, some were sitting around a small fire pit, a group of guys were standing around the keg stand, others were dancing enthusiastically around the DJ, and the rest of the teenagers were scattered throughout the yard.

"Stacie!"

Beca snapped her vision back to the redhead in front of her, who let go of her hand to embrace her taller friend.

"Hey! You made it!" Stacie smiled. She noticed Beca awkwardly standing behind the ginger and grinned. "Hey, Beca." She separated from Chloe and clumsily pulled the tiny brunette into another tight hug. Chloe giggled at the uncomfortable expression plastered on Beca's face and wondered if she had made that face the first they ever hugged. Perhaps she will never know.

"Hi, Stacie." Beca murmured, smothered against the older girl's chest, which didn't help the already awkward contact. The lengthy girl finally let go of the track star and smiled. "I'm glad you came." Just then, Aubrey came into view, solo cup in hand, and beamed at the sight of her best friend.

"Hey, Chlo!" While the two took a moment to hug and greet each other, Stacie leaned down closer to Beca's ear.

"So what kind of _convincing_ did Red have to do to get you come?" Her sinful tone startled the brunette and Beca hoped the lack of proper lighting hid her growing blush.

"What?" She quickly shook her head, trying to figure out a good enough explanation. "N-Nothing. I just," she shrugged, "I haven't been to a party in a long time, so I thought, you know, what the hell." That sounded good.

Apparently good enough to convince the taller girl and Beca let out a breath when she appeared to buy it. Stacie lifted her brows and pouted her bottom lip.

"Fair enough."

After finally feeling 'off the hook' with Stacie, Beca looked towards Chloe but accidentally made eye contact with Aubrey.

The blonde looked as though she hesitated, but eventually gave her a small, maybe forced, smile. "Hi, Beca."

"Aubrey." Beca nodded, expressing an 'I-know-you're-trying-really-hard-to-be-nice-to-me' smirk. The track star had to admit, watching the uptight girl struggle to please her best friend was pretty amusing. If it wasn't for Chloe, Beca knew this girl would have most likely just insulted her in some way, then completely ignored her for the rest of the night.

Chloe felt the thick tension growing between them and decided it was time to break the awkwardness. "So! Beca, I want to introduce you to some of my other friends." She shifted her eyes between Stacie and Aubrey, "We'll be back," she said, gesturing towards Beca to follow her.

The track star let the redhead guide her to different groups of teenagers, whom Beca couldn't help but greet awkwardly. The complicated brunette could tell Chloe was trying her best to make her feel comfortable, but the unfamiliarity of it all still encouraged her unwanted insecurities to stand out. After meeting a few groups, Beca and Chloe stopped to chat a bit longer with Flo, another girl from the cheer squad, and a girl who was apparently the mascot.

"Doesn't it get really hot in the suit?" Beca asked, assuming a mascot outfit must feel like a personal sauna.

Cynthia Rose chuckled, "Yeah it can be, but most of our games are at night, so the cool air helps chill out the costume."

"Oh," was all Beca said. _Makes sense,_ she thought.

"One time, when I was five years old, my mother buried me and my brother alive because she said the sun was too hot for us to be outside..."

Beca instantly quirked an eyebrow at Flo's odd comment and looked over at Chloe who blinked and appeared to be just as confused.

Chloe furrowed her brow, "Why didn't you just stay in your–" The blank expression on the foreigner's face as she spoke convinced the redhead that an explanation would probably just lead to another bizarre story. She figured it would best to leave it as a mystery. "Never mind."

They chatted for a few more minutes and Chloe would occasionally peek over at Beca, smiling when the track star seemed to finally be loosening up and truly enjoying herself. It was a very sweet sight that Chloe definitely didn't underrate. The two eventually left the girls and went back to meet up with Stacie and Aubrey. They discovered the girls were now dancing together in the thick crowd by the DJ stand. Chloe grinned at her friends and the amount of fun they appeared to be having sparked the redhead's desire to do so with her favorite track star.

"Hey, Bec. Wanna dance?" She smiled, optimistically.

Beca absolutely loved the idea of dancing up against the stunning redhead, that by some miracle seemed to like her just as much as she did. The track star opened her mouth, eager to give her the answer she desperately wanted to, but hesitated and answered with, "I don't think that's a good idea," instead.

"Oh..." Chloe simply said, the smile slowly falling from her face, "You're right. Sorry, that was a dumb idea." Beca felt bad for rejecting her. She hated seeing a sad Chloe and quickly thought of a way to maybe make her feel a little better about the denial.

The brunette swiftly looked around, checking to make sure no one was watching them, then moved in closer to the redhead's ear. "It wasn't a bad idea." She said, sliding a hand around her lower waist, "I just don't trust myself moving that close to you while you're dressed like–" She purposely moved back so Chloe could watch as her eyes raked over her toned figure, then come back up to meet hers. "–that."

After making her point, she removed her hand, much to Chloe's disappointment, and acted as if she didn't just intentionally trigger all of the butterflies to violently flutter inside the cheerleader's stomach. Beca was pretty proud of herself when she noticed Chloe's cheeks turning almost as crimson as her hair. It was nice being the "blushee" rather than the "blusher" for once.

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip, feeling a heated arousal brewing within her. Beca was not making resistance easy. Chloe was going to have to get her back for that later. For now, she settled with keeping her eyes on her friends on the dance floor, but angled towards Beca.

"I'll thank you for that compliment later," she said, lustfully; her breath tickling the brunette's neck and sending a shiver up her spine. Beca glanced over at the cheerleader and could tell she still wanted to dance. It was nice knowing Chloe would chose standing next her rather than go and have fun with her friends, but Beca didn't think that was fair.

"Hey." She got the redhead's attention first, then continued, "Go dance with your friends. I'll go get us some drinks," she smiled.

Chloe grinned back, "You sure?" The track star just waved her off.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Go have some fun."

The redhead beamed and brought the smaller girl in for a quick hug. "Thanks, Bec." The track star chuckled as she watched the cheerleader happily make her way into the crowd and join her two best friends.

Beca maneuvered through the crowd as she headed back into the kitchen. It wasn't until she got to the counter that she realized she didn't even know what kind of drinks Chloe liked. The brunette scanned her options and decided to just go with whatever fruity concoction filled the huge bowl sitting on the island counter. The stacks of fresh solo cups were being blocked by a couple passionately making out in front of them. Beca eyed them awkwardly and analyzed her options on how she could get to the cups.

There was really no choice but to just go for it, so she muttered a "S'cuse me," as she stiffly slid her hand behind the guy's sweaty back and quickly grabbed two cups. "Bleh," she murmured, scrunching her nose in disgust as wiped the back of her hand against her jeans. The couple continued their sloppy behavior, clearly undisturbed by Beca's stunt, and the brunette just shook them off as she poured some of the blue drink into her cups.

"Shortstack!"

Beca jumped at the sudden shout from behind her, almost dropping the ladle. She recognized the voice instantly and after she finished filling the second cup, Beca turned around to address her friend.

"Hey, Amy." Beca chuckled, genuinely happen to run into her Australian acquaintance.

The blonde approached her and grinned when she looked down at the two cups in Beca's hands.

"Rough week?" Amy joked, and Beca laughed.

"No, one of them is for Chloe." She explained, earning an intrigued look from the curious Aussie.

"Ah, okay. How is gingah doin' these days?" She focused on Beca's reaction when she said her next remark, "I heard she broke up with her boyfriend." Amy could have sworn the brunette's face slightly twitched, but she overall seemed to be unaffected by the comment, which surprised the Australian.

"Yeah, she did." Beca didn't know why, but it was much easier to keep her cool around Amy than it had been with anyone else so far. "She's okay, I guess." She shrugged, trying to remain as brief as possible. What was it with everyone asking her about the redhead anyway?

"Uh huh..." Amy wasn't oblivious to the brunette's attempts at keeping the topic of Chloe Beale short, and Amy did enjoy teasing Beca about her. But this was party time and the Aussie was on the prowl for some man meat to take home. Picking on the tiny brunette could wait until next time. "Well that's good." She finished, suddenly reaching over Beca to grab a half filled solo cup. The track star watched questionably as Amy dumped the contents in the nearby sink, then re-filled the cup with the same blue punch. Beca widened her eyes in shock.

"Are you seriously drinking from someone else's cup?" Amy chugged down a decent gulp before answering.

"Yeh, I got coodies when I was five and it's like chicken pox, ya know? Once you've had it, you can't get it again." She finished her statement with another gulp, while Beca just tilted her head to the side in confusion. Before the track star could say anything in response, Amy let out a loud sigh. "Alright, I'm goin' on the hunt for some man candy. Wish me luck, shortstack." She playfully nudged the brunette before pivoting around and walking away in the opposite direction. "Have fun with your girlfriend!" She hollered, waving a 'goodbye' in the air without turning back to face the startled track star.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Beca argued back, perhaps a little too loudly than was necessary. She instantly glanced around to make sure no one heard her say that and was glad to see everyone too distracted by their hormones to really give a damn.

Beca managed to make it back outside without bumping into anyone and continued her way to the dance floor. Even with the heels on, Beca was still pretty short and had to tip toe in her boots to try to find fiery locks amidst the shifting crowd. The brunette came up short, no pun intended, and couldn't spot the familiar ginger anywhere. She moved around the crowd, trying to get a better view and noticed Stacie nor Aubrey were dancing either.

The track star dropped back down on her heels with a slight huff and began searching the yard for the trio. She spotted the two taller girls talking with some boys by the keg stand, but still didn't see Chloe.

"Hey, do you guys know where Chloe went?" Beca asked, as she approached them from behind. The group turned their attention towards the smaller girl and Stacie and Aubrey shared a quick suspicious look at each other, that didn't go unnoticed by the track star. "What?" She questioned.

"She's with Tom." Aubrey blatantly answered.

Beca suddenly felt dazed and kind of hurt by the new information, but made sure to keep up her calm and 'I'm-not-into-Chloe' facade in front of Aubrey.

"Oh, alright." What she really wanted to do was immediately ask why she was with him and where had they gone, but thankfully Stacie jumped in to further explain.

"He came by a few minutes ago and asked if he could talk with Chloe in private." Beca could tell the taller brunette was just trying to help and the track star was grateful for it. "I'm not sure where they went though."

Her first instinct was to fly off into a grand search of the redhead, but as long as she was in Aubrey's view, Beca knew she had calculate her actions carefully.

The brunette shrugged nonchalantly, "Okay. Well I guess I'll just take these back inside then." She lifted the two red cups in her hands so the girls understood what she was talking about. She gave them a tight smile and a quick nod in goodbye, then casually made her way back into the house.

Once she knew there was no way Aubrey could see her, Beca instantly put the cups down and began searching for the cheerleader. It didn't help that Stacie's house was fairly large, and it took the brunette a good eight minutes to hastily move about the downstairs and check every room. Beca had to admit she kind of felt like a stalker, but something in her gut was telling her she needed to find Chloe. After a thorough search with no sight of the ginger, Beca considered that maybe they were upstairs.

She pushed her way through the thick crowd and finally made it to the steps. The volume of the music died down as she made it to the top. There were a sufficient amount of rooms to choose from, but Beca didn't want to just barge into the bedrooms and instead, quietly walked by each door, listening for any signs of Chloe.

As she got to the third room, Beca could hear what sounded like a quarrel going on in the fourth room next to it and noticed the door was slightly opened. She approached the opening slowly and instantly recognized the voice that rang inside.

"Tom, how many times do I have to say that I'm sorry!"

Beca peeked through the small opening and could see the disturbed duo arguing with each other. It was apparent that Chloe had been crying, and as much as Beca wanted to just burst through the door and wipe those tears away, she knew this was really none of her business and she battled with herself to stay put and just let Chloe handle it.

"I never meant to hurt you."

Tom was facing the window, anger clearly expressed on his face, then twisted around to come back at the shaky redhead.

"Seriously, Chloe? What the fuck! How can you say that to me?" He stepped closer the louder he got. "We were together for almost two years, then out of no where you just fucking dump me like I'm nothing? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Beca could feel her anger firing up, but she clenched her fists to help restrain herself.

 _Let her handle this._

The tears began to fill up Chloe's light eyes once again. "I'm sorry, Tom! I'm sorry I made you feel like you were nothing, but that's not true! I just–" she looked away from him, "I just don't love you anymore." Her voice was shaky, raspy, and tired. Beca had never heard her voice sound so weak before. It was heartbreaking.

"That's bullshit! You don't just stop loving someone out of nowhere, Chlo!" The redhead dropped her eyes and sniffled as she light shook her head. "So who is it, huh?" It scared Chloe how demanding his voice sounded and anxiously looked up at him.

"W-What?" She choked out.

Tom took a step closer. "Who the fuck stole you from me, huh? Is it one of the other guys on the team?" Chloe just stood frozen, her mouth slightly opened, and her silence irritated Tom even more. "Tell me!" He shouted, stepping closer into Chloe's face, almost causing Beca to lunge inside, but the redhead instantly backed away.

"No, Tom! No one stole me away from you! I've just felt like I've been drifting apart from you for months now." She explained, trying to make the boy understand.

"Oh!" He sarcastically chuckled, "So you've just been lying to me this entire time? That's good to know." His volume increased, "That is just fucking **great** to know that I've been in a bogus relationship with a phony," He moved in closer, making Chloe take another step back, "heartless," another step, and the redhead panicked when she felt the back of her legs run into the bed trim. "And lying," he brought his finger up to her face and was officially too close for Beca's comfort, "bitch."

"Hey!"

Chloe and Tom simultaneously turned their heads in her direction and were startled by Beca's unexpected entrance.

"Get away from her!" She shouted, waisting no time stepping in front of the frazzled redhead and standing up to the towering bully.

"Beca?" Chloe queried and Tom looked down at her, furrowing his brow.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Beca's adrenaline rapidly pumped throughout her body, and the only thing she thought about at the moment, was protecting Chloe. "I'm the girl that's about to kick your ass if you don't walk away _right_ now." She threatened, not a single shred of intimidation evident.

Tom laughed at the tiny brunette, clearly not taking her warning seriously. "Yeah, okay twigglet. Why don't you move aside so the grown ups can finish talking." He made the mistake of putting his hand on her, lightly shoving her to the side, and Beca instantly reacted by punching him right in the nose.

She winced at the sudden pain in her knuckles, but managed to knock him back a good step. He shouted in agony and Chloe gasped in shock at everything rapidly falling apart in front of her. Tom brought his hand down from his nostrils and revealed blood dripping down from his nose. His eyes snapped up and had a deathly focus on the brunette as he impulsively lunged at her.

"You little shit!" He cursed, violently shoving her back and causing her to quickly lose her balance.

"Beca!" Was the last thing she heard before the back of her head collided with the wooden bed frame behind her.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: ...**

 **Yeahh... So that actually ended in a COMPLETELY different way than I had originally planned. I don't know what happened, but at some point the story just started writing itself and BAM, shit like this happens.**

 **Let me know what you guys thought! xP**

 **Also, come visit me on Tumblr: not-so-average-fangirl**


	14. Our Little Escape

**Author's 1st Note: I know I'm horrible for leaving you guys hanging the way I did in the last chapter.**

 **But have no fear! Chapter 14 is here!**

 **Brace yourselves...I won't say exactly for what though. ;)**

* * *

"Beca!" Chloe shook the unconscious brunette, cradling her head in her lap and allowing some of her tears to fall onto the younger girl's face. "Beca, are you okay?"

After the push, Tom immediately panicked. He looked at Chloe with regretful eyes and quickly murmured an, "I'm sorry," before bolting out of the room. Chloe didn't care where the boy went, all of her worries went straight to the injured little brunette lying on the ground.

Chloe's mind raced as she processed everything all at once. The arguing, the yelling, Beca coming to her rescue, the push. But despite the many options she had, Chloe just couldn't find the strength to move from her current hunched over position, desperately waiting for Beca to come back to her.

"Come on, Becs..." The cheerleader pleaded, gently running her fingers through the track star's soft hair. She watched the girl's still face and admired how peaceful she looked. Granted the unfortunate circumstances, Chloe found herself fantasizing about what it would be like to wake up to that same face on a Sunday morning, where everything was perfect. There would be no school, no secrets, no stress. Just them. And the only thing they would have to worry about was wether they would make pancakes or waffles for breakfast.

Chloe's little daydream was delightfully interrupted when Beca's face slightly stirred. The brunette had only been out for less than five minutes, but to Chloe, it felt like an eternity.

"Beca?" The track star still had her eyes closed, but released a light groan from the back of throat and her brow furrowed. A smile instantly spread widely across the redhead's face and she let out a breath of relief. "Beca, hey it's okay. I'm here," she cooed, the pace of her caressing fingers increasing, "I'm here."

The brunette immediately recognized the sweet voice slowly bringing her back to the real world and croaked out a soft, "Chloe" before finally blinking her dark blue eyes open.

"There you are." The redhead grinned, moving one of her woven hands from Beca's hair and placing it on the track star's cheek. "Are you okay?"

Beca stared up into Chloe's glossy eyes and suddenly felt her heart beating harder in her chest. A teary eyed Chloe wasn't a sight Beca took pleasure in seeing, but knowing that those tears were there because she had fallen and gotten hurt, meant the world to the track star. Beca wasn't used to people genuinely caring about her, especially unbelievably amazing people like Chloe Beale.

The throbbing pain in the back of the brunette's head was definitely apparent, but surprisingly not as overwhelming as she thought it would be. Beca also felt a bit dazed, but overall it just felt like she got a good bump to the head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She muttered, mildly pushing herself up from her comfortable position on Chloe's lap. The cheerleader admired Beca's will power, but she didn't want her to over do it and gently held her in place.

"Okay Miss Badass, take it easy there." She snickered, "A few of our cheer girls have gotten concussion before. I just want to make sure you're okay." The brunette insisted on getting up anyway, so Chloe made sure to hold onto her tiny form and helped her up the rest of the way.

Beca was finally standing on her own two feet, then suddenly remembered why she had fallen in the first place. Her eyes widened, "Where's Tom? Did he hurt you?"

Chloe softly ran her fingers through the track star's hair, "No, I'm okay. He ran off after you fell."

The news was relieving, but it didn't change Beca's current opinion of Tom being a complete son of a bitch. The way he treated Chloe was just unacceptable and Beca was definitely not going to forget it.

She released an, "Oh" when she processed that Tom didn't lay a hand on the cheerleader and was so far no longer a problem for them.

"I'm so sorry..."

Beca looked up to meet Chloe's watering eyes. Remorse was plastered all over her angelic face but Beca knew there was nothing she should feel sorry about. It wasn't her fault Tom was an asshole. And it certainly wasn't her fault that Beca decided to stalk her and jump into their fight, uninvited.

"Hey," the track star wiped the small tear that escaped the redhead, "It's not your fault, Chlo. And I'm fine." Beca extended her arms out to make her point, "Really."

Chloe still worried for the girl and couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure? I mean, I can take you to the hospital if–" Beca silenced her with a soft kiss. Partly because she wanted her to just stop worrying, but mostly because she was really glad to know that the ginger was unharmed while she was unconscious. It would have killed Beca to know that Chloe had gotten hurt because she wasn't awake to stop it.

The brunette separated from the cheerleader, a small smile playing on her lips. "I'm fine, Chloe." The redhead furrowed her brow in a way Beca knew meant she still wasn't fully convinced. The track star added on, "Look, if I start feeling like something is really wrong, then I'll go. Okay? I promise." And she meant it. Beca had never been a fan of doctors, but if she felt worse instead of better within a few hours, then she would just have to suck it up and go.

Her persuasion finally got through to Chloe and the ginger softly nodded, "Alright. You just scared me." Silence broke out in the room until Chloe spoke up again, "I know we kinda just got here, but would it be okay if we left?" She shrugged, "I don't really feel like partying anymore."

Beca was honestly more than happy to leave. She did only agree to come in the first place because Chloe had asked her to. Her head still hurt as well. Being crammed with a bunch of teenagers and blasting music didn't sound like the best option when recovering from a head injury.

"Yeah, sure. We can go." The redhead smiled and took Beca's hand, leading them back down to the first floor. They didn't really care who saw them holding hands, but quite frankly the girls were convinced most of the partiers wouldn't even remember the events of that night anyway. They stopped at the front door and Chloe spoke up so Beca could hear her.

"Wait for me at my car. I'm gonna go say goodbye." The brunette nodded her head in agreement and did just so. Chloe wiped her eyes, hoping it wasn't too obvious that she had been crying, and found her two friends still hanging out in the backyard. Stacie was the first one to spot her.

"Oh, Chloe! Beca was looking for you earli–"

"I'm leaving."

The taller girl's gleeful smile fell, "What? Why?" The statement also caught Aubrey's attention and the blonde joined in on their conversation.

"You're leaving? But you just got here." Chloe opened her mouth to respond but Aubrey wasn't done questioning, "What happened with Tom?"

The cheerleader squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to shed anymore tears on her ex, who had clearly made the poor decision of having one too many drinks before he confronted her. She shook her head before re-opening her eyes and meeting her best friend's.

"It didn't go well..."

Aubrey needed to know more, "What happened? Are you cry–"

"We'll talk about it later." Chloe didn't mean to keep cutting off her friends, but she was in no mood to talk about everything that had just happened, especially when she knew mentioning Beca would only stir up stress that she definitely didn't need at the moment.

Aubrey just stayed silent, a little surprised by Chloe's firm tone, but also knowing that something serious must have happened. She knew the ginger all too well and knew it would be best to just let her go if she really wanted to leave. Chloe would always come to her and talk when she was ready.

The redhead looked at Stacie, "Hey Stace, do you have like Tylenol or Advil or something?"

The other cheerleader nodded, "Yeah in the bathroom cabinet." The request for pain killers made her curious, "Why though? Are you okay?" Aubrey included herself in questionably looking at the redhead, but Chloe played it off.

"I'm fine." She casually waved her hand around her head, "Just got a headache." Chloe didn't lie to her friends often, which she found herself doing a lot more lately, so the girls bought it.

"Oh, okay. Well, I hope you feel better."

Chloe smiled softly, "Thanks, Stace," and pulled her in for a goodbye hug and did the same for Aubrey. "See you guys later." The redhead waved her unsure friends off and turned back to the house. She went to the kitchen first and after pushing through a few drunken teenagers, made it to the cabinets. Chloe had been in Stacie's house many times before and knew exactly where to find everything she was looking for.

She opened a small ziploc bag and put a few ice cubes in it. To keep Beca's head from getting too cold, Chloe made sure to wrap a paper towel around it as well. After getting the ice, she made her way to the downstairs bathroom and found the Tylenol. She dropped two into her hand, then finally left the house.

The cheerleader found the track star leaning back against the passenger door, eyes closed and arms crossed. Beca heard the sound of Chloe's heels approaching and opened her eyes to meet a tenderly smiling redhead.

Beca grinned, "What's this?" she asked, motioning to the items in the other girl's hands.

"This," Chloe handed her the ice pack, "is for your head. And this," she picked up Beca's unoccupied hand and placed the two small pills in it, "is for the pain."

The brunette smiled appreciatively. Chloe didn't have to do this for her and the wonderment of the ginger's persistent kind actions towards Beca, continued to bewilder the smaller brunette.

"Thanks, Chlo. I uh-" She cleared her throat, fighting the blush that threatened to spread across her cheeks, "I really appreciate this." She smiled and placed the bag on the back of her head.

Chloe smiled back, "You're welcome." Beca looked down at her hand, then realized she didn't have anything to help swallow the pills with.

"Uh, Chloe?" The redhead was already making her way around to the driver's side and stopped to look at Beca.

"Yeah?"

"How am I suppose to take these?"

Chloe grinned and gestured to the vehicle, "I've got a water bottle in the car."

Beca opened her mouth in a silent 'Ah' as she nodded her head in understanding. They got inside and Beca made sure to keep the ice pack in place as she moved around. The cold really did help with the thumping pain and after swallowing down the pills, the track star knew it would only be a matter of time before she felt better.

Chloe started the car but before she could switch the gear into drive, Beca spoke up.

"Wait."

The redhead looked at her confused, "What? What's wrong?"

Beca quickly shook her head, "No, nothing. I just–" She felt her throat tightening and dropped her eyes because looking at Chloe was not making this any easier. "Can we like, not go home yet?" The ginger remained silent which made Beca panic, so she snapped her eyes back up, worried, but was delightfully surprised to find the cheerleader grinning.

"Sure, Becs." Her voice started out normal, then suddenly shifted to a much lower tone, "What would you like to do instead?" She winked, clearly suggesting something much more sinful.

Beca smirked and shook her head, "I didn't mean _that_. Get your mind out of the gutter, Beale."

Chloe laughed, "Okayyy." She grinned and turned on her car. "Got any other ideas in mind then?"

And honestly, Beca didn't. She just couldn't help the request she practically blurted out, because well, Beca just wanted to spend a little more time with her.

"Actually," Beca snickered, looking down at her lap and shook her head, "I don't. I just–" she shrugged and hesitated before finding the courage she needed to bring her eyes back up and meet the ginger's. She was gradually learning that it was okay to just be honest with Chloe. "I just wanna like, hang out with you."

It was remarkable really, how Beca tried so hard to be some insensitive bad ass around everyone else, but whenever she was with Chloe, her hidden caring and dorky side always slipped it's way through the cracks of her carefully constructed barrier. Top that with her continuous ability to accidentally be adorable, and Chloe just couldn't resist but fall for her.

The cheerleader smiled and shifted the car into drive before saying, "I've got an idea."

Beca didn't question the destination, mostly because she didn't really care. She was finally spending some genuine alone time with Chloe and that was all that really mattered. The redhead eventually turned on the radio but kept the volume low so they could chat. After a few minutes, the pain at the back of Beca's head had completely gone. Beca assumed the pain killers kicked in, so she placed the melting bag of ice in the center cup holders and closed her eyes as she leaned back in the car seat to relax for the rest of the way.

"You hungry?"

Beca re-opened her eyes, "Huh?"

Chloe giggled and repeated herself, "Are you hungry? We can pick up some food before we get to where I'm taking you."

Beca hadn't eaten and although the previous adrenaline kept her mind off of everything else but Chloe, as she thought of it now, she could feel the very apparent emptiness in her stomach.

She shrugged, "Yeah, okay."

"Any requests?"

Beca thought for a moment. "Taco Bell?" The brunette expected Chloe to laugh at the suggestion or something. _Taco Bell?_ Not usually the best option, but it was honestly the first thing that came to her mind.

Chloe dropped her jaw and gaped at the track star, "Oh my God! Yes! I'm so down." A relieved smile appeared on her face and Beca was glad to know Chloe was okay with the choice.

Chloe pulled up in the drive thru and ordered a burrito with a side of nachos. Beca decided to go with two soft tacos and in the end, they completed their orders with freeze beverages. Chloe picked the strawberry Starburst flavor, which she swore "Tastes exactly like the candy," while Beca went with her usual, Mountain Dew flavor. They received their food and continued their way to the mystery destination Chloe had in store for them.

* * *

"The park?" Beca asked aloud, checking out her surroundings and processing that they were, in fact, at a park.

Chloe closed her car door, "Yeah," she smiled, "I didn't think you'd been here yet, so I thought I'd be the first to bring ya." She started walking towards the children's playground area. It was pretty late, so luckily there were no kids running around.

Beca followed the cheerleader, not really sure what to think about them currently walking up the steps to the top of the play set. Chloe sat down at the highest point; a circular shaped area, where the entrances to three different slides met. Beca watched as she crossed her legs, clearly getting comfortable, then casually began opening her burrito. She was about to take a bite, when she looked up at the brunette, who remained standing awkwardly still; uncertainty apparent in her eyes.

Chloe giggled in amusement, "Sit down, silly." She said, and patted the empty space next to her. Beca quirked an eyebrow, but ultimately did as the redhead asked.

"Why are we eating on the playground?"

Chloe had already taken a bite of her burrito and it made Beca grin when she looked up to answer and her cheeks stuck out like an adorable chipmunk.

She covered her mouth as she spoke, "Because–" she swallowed the last few bits before continuing, "I come here a lot at night when I wanna just get away from the world." She softly shrugged, almost embarrassed to say it out loud. "It's like my own little escape."

Beca would be lying if she said she totally didn't understand her. That's what running was like for her. An escape. The track star also had to acknowledge the interesting coincidence. After all, the first time Beca had ever really ran, and discovered her own little getaway, she wound up running to a park and spent a few hours there to unwind. She found it interesting that something as random as a park, could be something with a much deeper meaning that they can both relate to.

"Oh," Beca said, "well that's cool." She flashed a genuine smile at the redhead, then started taking out her tacos from the plastic bag, "Have you brought Aubrey and Stacie here too?" She asked mindlessly, her focus settled on opening one of the hot sauce packets.

"Actually," her voice lowered to just above a whisper, "You're the first person I've ever brought here."

The comment immediately caught Beca's attention and the brunette looked up from her previous distraction. Her eyes were widened a bit, not necessarily in shock, but more in bewilderment.

"Wait, seriously?" she asked, and the softly smiling redhead nodded. "Wow. Um–" She didn't want to come off the wrong way when she questioned, "Can I ask why?"

Chloe's smile thankfully widened and Beca thought it was cute how she suddenly became a bit giddy. "I don't know. I mean I know running is more of an escape for you, but I thought that maybe," she shrugged again, "this place could be another getaway for the both of us."

And with that, Beca was at a loss for words. The track star knew how vulnerable she tends to feel when she gets her urges to run. She knows what her escape feels like and how she couldn't possibly think of letting anyone else in on that world. Well, that is, anyone besides Chloe. To find out that Chloe was not only telling her about her little getaway, but also now sharing it with her, made Beca's heart feel a bit heavier, as the weight of a an even deeper affection for the redhead began to settle in.

Beca's stunned silence grew alarming for Chloe.

"I mean, only if you want to. If that's not okay with you, then don't feel obligated t–" She stopped her rambling and furrowed her brow in confusion when Beca randomly started chuckling. "What's so funny?" Chloe asked, curious.

Beca smiled at her, "Nothing. I just find it amusing how you're the one rambling on now." She quirked an eyebrow, "Isn't that usually my job?" She teased.

Chloe's anxiety eased with Beca's playfully mocking and the redhead tossed a sauce packet at her in return.

The track star giggled as she brought her arm up to protect herself from the small impact. "Ow! Hey! It's not _my_ fault you don't know how to speak normally."

Chloe fought the wide and obvious smile playing on her lips by snaring them between her teeth. She shook her head, "You are impossible, Mitchell." The brunette laughed and looked down to unwrap her taco. "So whadaya' think?" Beca looked back up and could tell what Chloe meant just by the sweet look on her face. The track star pursed out her bottom lip and looked around.

"Yeah. I think I could hang here." Her head was still facing her right side, but Beca glanced at the redhead through the corner of her eyes and smirked. She was getting better at this.

Chloe chuckled, "You are something else."

Beca tilted her head to the side, "I thought I was impossible?" She toyed, then shrieked when Chloe chucked another packet at her.

After finishing their food, occasionally playing with it in the process, Chloe guided Beca around the park and gave her a quick tour. They came back to the playground section and the redhead persuaded Beca to play with her as if they were children. 'Playing' wasn't Beca's usual forté, but she had to admit it was just too much fun to resist when it was with Chloe.

They tried out one of the see-saws and Chloe giggled at the arms crossed and pouting Beca, when they sat still and Chloe's side remained lower, easily holding up the brunette's almost nonexistent weight. They moved to the swings, and Beca was able to take back her pride when she impressed Chloe with how far she could jump off and stick the landing; even in heels. The spinners were fun for the first five seconds, until Chloe felt the burrito coming back up yelped for Beca to stop. The slides were one of the best parts when Chloe insisted that "Going down with two people was a much better experience." She wrapped her arms around Beca's small waist and pushed off, only to have her claim quickly proven wrong, when Beca couldn't stop them and continued to fly right off of the slide; crashing into the sand, then having Chloe clumsily fall right on top of her. Their laughter and giggles rang through the night air and Beca gradually flipped over so she could face the cheerful redhead.

Chloe scrunched her nose, "Sorry," she grinned and moved a strand of Beca's hair out of her face. The track star chuckled and lifted her hands to rest them on Chloe's forearms.

"It's cool. At least I didn't land on my head." She only meant it as a joke, but the reminder of the accident made Chloe's face fall a bit. Beca's injury was no joke to her. The cheerleader remained silent, staring into the brunette's dark eyes, as she lazily ran her fingers through the top of her hair.

"You're crazy, you know." Her voice was soft and low, but filled with passion. Beca was mesmerized in the moment, taking in the intensity she felt from Chloe's light eyes staring back at her; coupled with the fact that the redhead was literally laying on top of her, and Beca's heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest.

"Why is that?" She asked, sneaking in a few glances at the ginger's soft lips.

Chloe slightly tilted her head, almost admiring the brunette beneath her, and her hand continued to caress her dark locks. "You're crazy for standing up to Tom the way you did. I don't think any of my friends would have done that."

"Well they'd be stupid not to." It came out faster and more bitter than Beca had intended it to be. She quickly tried to correct herself, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult your friends. They are your friends after all. I just meant like, I would never let anyone hurt you." By now her eyes had detached from Chloe's and looked everywhere but at her. She was lost in her rapid and unwieldy speech, "I couldn't live myself if I ever let anyone hur–"

Chloe put the small brunette out of her misery and silenced her rambling with a sweet and loving kiss. She pulled back and grinned at the dazed track star, "Welcome back to being the rambler."

Beca's cheeks involuntarily blushed and she looked away again, "Shut up," she pouted.

Chloe giggled and used her finger to guide the brunette's gaze back to her. "You know I never did get to properly thank you." Beca felt her chest tighten at the sound of Chloe's sultry tone. She slid one of her hands from Chloe's arms to the back of the ginger's neck and slowly pulled them closer.

"Hey!"

The secret couple flinched, not only at the sudden voice, but also by the unexpected bright light shining directly in their face.

"What are you girls doing out here? The park is closed."

Once the flashlight lower and the girls could see they were being confronted by a police officer, Chloe awkwardly got off of Beca, then helped the brunette up.

"Sorry officer, we didn't know." Whenever confronted by any kind of adult, Chloe would always tweak her voice just a bit to sound as sweet and innocent as she possible could. This technique got her out of a handful of other sticky situations before. Beca on the other hand wasn't as smooth. She remained still, her eyes a bit wide and her hand still gripping onto Chloe's.

"It closes at 10 o'clock every night. I'll let you girls go this time, but next time I'll have to give you a ticket. Understand?" They nodded in unison and the cop turned off his flashlight, putting it back in it's holster. "Alright, now get home safe and have a goodnight."

"Thanks, officer." Chloe smiled and pulled a silent Beca along with her. They got in her car and Chloe couldn't help but let out an embarrassed laugh. "Well that was awkward," she giggled, turning on the vehicle.

"Yeah, I'll say." Beca agreed, letting out a breath and calming her nerves. They backed out of the parking spot and drove off.

* * *

Chloe pulled up in Beca's driveway and shut off the engine. She turned in her seat to face the brunette, placing her elbow on the top half and holding her head up with her hand. "So did you have fun?" She grinned.

Beca laid her head to the side to look at her, a small smile tugging on her own lips. "Yeah, I did." And she really did. Their playful time alone was so much better than any party Beca could ever attend. "Thanks for sharing your little getaway with me."

Chloe dropped her elbow to gently grab Beca's hand, "Well, it's the both of ours now." She smiled, and began playing with the brunette's fingers. "How's your head?" She asked, looking back up to see Beca's face.

Beca shrugged, "It's fine. The pain killers are working I guess. It doesn't even hurt."

"Well that's good." Chloe said, removing her hand from Beca's so she could unbuckle her seat belt.

"Chloe..." The redhead ignored her wary tone and started moving across the center console of he car. Beca felt her stomach knotting up but still managed to ask, "What are you doing?" The brunette took in a sharp and nervous breath when Chloe finally got to her destination and straddled her.

"I told you," Chloe whispered, unbuckling her seat belt, then leaning forward against Beca as she reached for the seat's reclining lever. The track star gulped and could feel her face intensely burning up as the cheerleader pressed her chest flush against Beca's. "I never got to properly thank you for defending me." She finished, leaning the seat back a few inches so Beca now sat at a comfortable angle.

The track star could feel her palms sweating and her breath grew shaky and irregular as Chloe moved in closer and closer to her face. Beca got one more glimpse of the cheerleader's lustful eyes before the redhead closed the small space between them and capture her lips with her own. The kiss was different than the previous ones they had shared. The way Chloe's mouth moved against hers wasn't gentle or calm, but more needy and desperate than ever before. The redhead kept a strong hand wrapped around the base of Beca's skull, keeping the feverish brunette close and right where she wanted her.

Beca eventually found the nerve to finally move her frozen hands and gripped onto Chloe's hips as she opened her mouth to grant the cheerleader access. Chloe moaned appreciatively as she gladly slid her way inside and Beca let out sigh that turned into a quiet whimper when their tongues collided. Chloe's grip in Beca's hair tightened and she released a muffled groan into the redhead's mouth as she hungrily kissed her back.

"I should–" Beca breathed between kisses, "defend you–more often." She grinned, pausing for the slightest moment so she could gaze into Chloe's sapphire eyes. The redhead chuckled but didn't wait any longer to reconnect their lips. She was so grateful for Beca and for what she had done for her. Chloe wanted to make sure Beca knew that. She anxiously licked her way inside the brunette's mouth and reveled in the little sounds that would escape the smaller girl. Her melodic whimpers and moans sent a shiver through the redhead's spine and a pressure began rapidly building in her lower region.

The exhilarating pleasure Chloe felt coursing through her veins became overwhelming and the redhead could no longer help herself. Chloe impulsively rolled her hips against Beca's and the brunette instantly gasped at the sudden friction. Chloe was about to say something but her sentence was declined a second of life when Beca gripped harder onto Chloe's hips and fervently jerked upward to meet hers.

The track star couldn't comprehend what was happening to her. Her body felt like it was on fire while simultaneously tingling with chills. Chloe was intoxicating and somehow casted a mystical spell on Beca that made her say and do things carelessly and uncontrollably. Beca was never like this. She never craved something or someone so much that all of her senses were no longer under her conscious command. Her strong philosophy of 'mind over matter' ceased to exist, because when it came to moments like these with Chloe Beale, 'matter over mind' always seemed to win.

Chloe moaned at Beca's boldness and responded firmly ensnaring the brunette's bottom lip between her teeth and repositioning herself so her thigh laid between Beca's, and the brunette's was secured under her center. Chloe eagerly kissed her again and began grinding down a little harder against Beca's thigh. The track star's mind was reeling, clouded by the immense pleasure the redhead was bestowing upon her supple being. Every roll of Chloe's hips caused her knee to rub up against Beca's sensitive core and the brunette found herself getting lost in it all.

The track star didn't know exactly when, but somewhere amongst their writhing and heated session, Beca's hands had mindlessly traveled up Chloe's abdomen. Her fingers remained on the cheerleader's shirt, but her thumbs had somehow found their way underneath. It wasn't until the feel of soft skin shifted to a more lacy texture and Beca snapped her eyes open to see the redhead's pink shirt was bunched up just under her breasts and the brunette realized her hands had landed on unfamiliar territory.

Beca snapped her eyes up, apologetically and immediately removed her hands. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I don't know what I was thinking." She looked away, feeling the blush appearing on her already heated cheeks.

"Hey," Chloe eased, "look at me." Beca hesitated at first but eventually turned her head back to look at the gentle redhead. The track star felt embarrassed for letting her hormones get the better of her. The last thing she wanted was to disrespect Chloe, even if she didn't mean to. "You don't have to apologize for that. Or anytime you feel like doing something like that. Okay? If I don't like something you do, then I'll let you know."

Beca remained still for a moment, but then slowly nodded her head in understanding. As long as Chloe was okay with it, then Beca was okay with it. The cheerleader leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss, before sitting up and looking at the brunette like she was waiting for something. Beca didn't initially understand and slightly furrowed her brow in confusion.

"It's okay, Beca." Chloe reached down to pick up the brunette's hand and calmly guided it to her chest. Beca's eyes widened when she realized what she was doing and could see her hand begin the quiver as Chloe hovered it just above her right breast. "You can touch me." She whispered, and kept her hand in place but didn't push. Chloe wanted Beca to be comfortable and wanted her to decide wether she really wanted to do this or not.

It took a lot for Beca to process everything fast enough, but she wanted this and with Chloe's actions and words, it was clear the redhead wanted this too. Beca kept a hard gaze on her hand's current position, then finally after hesitating for a few moments, she swallowed the knot that had formed in the back of her throat and decided to allow herself to be carefree for once.

Chloe released a slow and shaky breath as Beca softly wrapped her fingers around her breast, gradually squeezing a little harder as she released a breath of her own and eased into the new contact.

Chloe shut her eyes and brought her hands down to grip onto her own thighs, fully enjoying the way Beca's petite fingers massaged her. "There you go, Becs," she panted, bitting her lip as she tried to hold onto the little bit of self control she had left. "Just like that."

Beca marveled in the way Chloe currently looked. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was disheveled in all the right places, and nothing but pleasure was being expressed by her; they way her brow desperately furrowed, the way she chewed on her bottom lip and the way her hips rocked to a harmonious rhythm. And to know that she was the cause of it all, turned Beca on even more that she already was. Gaining a little more confidence, Beca brought her other hand up to match the cadenced actions of her other and was rewarded by a breathy moan and a buck of Chloe's hips.

Chloe monetarily opened her eyes to slide her own hands up Beca's sides. She wanted to know what Beca felt like too and she looked at the captivating brunette with curious eyes. "Can I?"

The track star didn't hesitate this time and was quick to nod her head in approval. She didn't remove her hands, but arched her back when Chloe eased her own around Beca's soft breasts and leaned back down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. Their once harmoniously dancing tongues now battled for dominance as the cares and worries of the world around them dwindled away. Nothing else really mattered at this point. Nothing but the heat rapidly growing between the track star and the cheerleader.

Their magically sensual moment was interrupted all too soon when the sound of Beca's cell phone began to go off in her pocket. The brunette reluctantly pulled away from the redhead and groaned.

"Just ignore it." Chloe murmured, and kissed her again.

"I can't–" Beca mumbled against Chloe's lips, "It's–" her sentence was cut off by another kiss, "dad's–" and another, "ringtone." She somehow managed to get it all out and Chloe whined as she sat up to let Beca reach for her phone.

"What?" She quickly corrected herself and cleared her throat, "I mean, yeah, dad?"

Her father paused before answering, _"Everything alright, kiddo? You sound like you've been running."_

"Yeah, I'm fine, dad. We were just, um–" _Think of something!_ "Dancing." _Perfect._

 _"_ _Oh,"_ he chuckled, _"Makes sense then."_

Chloe decided to have a little fun and started to slowly run her hands up the occupied brunette's abdomen.

 ** _"_** ** _What are you doing?"_** Beca silently mouthed but was only acknowledged with a mischievous wink.

 _"_ _Well, listen. I don't mean to be the party pooper, but you are cutting it pretty close to your curfew, Bec. I'm gonna need you home as soon as possible."_

Chloe had glided her hands back down and leaned forward to place light kisses against the wriggling brunette's neck. This was so unfair.

Beca bit her lip before realizing she had to respond to the man on the other end of the call. "Y-Yeah, okay, dad! We were actually just getting in the car, so I'll see you– **Soon!** " Her last word came out as an involuntary yelp when the cheerleader took it upon herself to unexpectedly nip at her sensitive skin with her teeth. Beca quickly hung up the call and glared at the smirking redhead. "Seriously, dude?!" Chloe couldn't help but laugh.

"What? Did I do something?" She asked innocently, tilting her head to the side to add to her already unfair cuteness.

Beca shook her head, fighting her own smirk from escaping, "You're gonna pay for that."

"Ooh," Chloe purred, coming back close enough to Beca's face to have their noses touch. "I can't wait." She brought their lips together again and Beca found herself easily getting lost in it once again. But Beca had a curfew that her father was unfortunately pretty strict about.

"Chloe," Beca muttered against her teasing lips, "Chlo..." The redhead just hummed in response, but didn't stop her enticing actions. "I have to go." Beca obstinately grabbed onto the cheerleader's wrists and softly pushed her back, snickering at the pout that was expressed on her face. "Believe me, I'd rather stay here with you and continue this, but my dad's gonna freak if I'm not home in time."

Chloe dropped her shoulders, "Okayy..." she grumbled and reluctantly got off of the brunette and sat back down in the driver's seat. Beca snickered at the way Chloe pouted like an adorable child who wasn't allowed to get the toy she wanted from the store. "For the record," the redhead said, turning her car back on, "I am officially not a fan of curfews."

This time Beca full on laughed, "I don't think anyone is, Chlo." She moved forward in her seat to give her childish redhead one more kiss. "Goodnight," she smiled and the cheerleader blissfully smiled back.

"Goodnight, Becs."

Beca got out of the car and walked onto her porch. She unlocked her door but turned around one last time to wave goodbye to the cheerleader. Chloe waved back with a smile, then eventually drove off once the brunette was securely inside.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: *comes back to laptop after taking a cold showering* What'd I miss?**

 **Was this chapter what you guys were expecting? Yes? No? Cuz guess what...it wasn't what I was expecting! I don't know how, but this story continues to surprise me and just writes itself. I swear. It's the craziest thing.**

 **Fun Fact: As I've said before, this story has a lot of places I've actually been to in real life, and so far there have been 3 different times that cops randomly pulled up on me and my friends and kicked us out of the park we usually hang out at.**

 **Good times, good times...**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! As always, stay tuned for more! :D**

 **Come visit me on Tumblr: not-so-average-fangirl**


	15. Accidental Exposure

**Author's 1st Note: Let me start by saying that this chapter is shorter than previous ones mostly because it has been over two weeks since I've last updated and I have gotten so busy, that having the time to properly write this story out has been pretty difficult lately. I originally planned for this chapter to be longer, but I just feel _really_ bad about taking so long, and I'm not sure how much longer it would have been if I continued write it all the way to it's originally destination. **

**So, I've decided to split the chapter in two and post this half of it first.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy, and thank you so much for sticking with me. It really means** **a lot. :)**

* * *

Her alarm went off, earlier than usual, but this time a meaningful smile was playing on Beca's lips, as she willfully woke up from her deep slumber. It was early Monday morning and the brunette knew all too well that that meant Chloe would be up as well, getting ready to go run on the school's track.

As she moved about her room, getting dressed and packing her things, Beca realized she hadn't ran with Chloe since the first time it happened and her eyes had also gotten to see much more of the redhead than she had ever bargained for.

Which reminded her...

"Towel!"

As soon as the very valuable thought crossed her mind, the track star quickly grabbed the blue towel hanging in her bathroom and shoved it in her bag.

* * *

Beca managed to get to their school before Chloe had and she pondered wether or not she should just start running or wait for the cheerleader to show up. As she walked past the bleachers to drop her bags, Beca noticed a spot that was kind of hidden away and realized a person of her stature could definitely fit inside. A playful grin curved on her lips and after squeezing her way in, she patiently waited for her target to arrive.

Chloe showed up only a few minutes later and Beca secretly watched as the redhead tied her hair up into a ponytail and plugged her headphones in. After briefly messing with her iPod, Chloe began her jog and Beca smirked as she cued herself into action. The track star knew Chloe wouldn't be able to hear her approaching, and although the ginger had a head start, it didn't take much effort for Beca to catch up to her.

"Beca!?" Chloe yelped, almost tripping over her own feet. After regaining her balance, she immediately stopped and grinned at the smiling brunette. "What are you doing here?" She asked, breathless.

The track star made a nonchalant gesture, "Ah, you know–" she stretched her neck from side to side and rolled her shoulders back, "Just getting my morning workout in."

Chloe wasn't buying her obvious antic and narrowed her eyes, "Mhmm." She doubtfully hummed.

Beca quirked an eyebrow and her grin curved to one side, "Calling me a liar?"

The redhead shrugged, "You said it, not me." She quipped, earning a dramatic gasp from the shorter brunette.

"So this is the thanks I get for waking up at this God forsaken hour just so I could surprise you?" She asked, sprawling her hand on her chest and trying, but failing, to sound genuinely hurt.

Chloe's brow rose at the charming confession and Beca quickly swallowed her courage when the redhead began stepping closer to her; wearing a very intimidating smirk that Beca could feel trigger a shudder in her knees.

Chloe leaned in closer to the brunette's face, enjoying the way her usually pale cheeks reddened deeper with every step she took. "So you _did_ come to see me." She purred, gently trailing her fingers up one of Beca's arms and causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. She loved teasing Beca.

The brunette's breath hitched in her throat and even though Chloe was dangerously close and clouding Beca's thoughts, the track star still managed to reply with, "You said it, not me."

Chloe smirked at this and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on Beca's lips. The peaceful bliss Chloe always felt when kissing the brunette instantly flooded her veins, but was unexpectedly cut short when she felt Beca's small hands gently pushing her back. The cheerleader looked at her confused, searching for an answer to the rejecting action.

"I'm sorry," Beca quickly apologized, "I just didn't wanna–" She glanced around their surroundings before shrugging and bringing her worried eyes back to the concerned ginger. "We're at school." Her explanation was solid, but the lack of vitality in her voice exposed Beca's true disappointment in the lousy fact that they still couldn't be affectionate in public.

Chloe dropped her head with a slight nod, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's okay." Beca hated when the usual sparkle in Chloe's light eyes dwindled even the slightest bit. Especially if it was because of something she did or said. "I just, don't want us to get caught, ya know?"

The ginger faintly nodded again in agreement, "Yeah, I know." A silence filled with lingering thoughts eventually took over. It really was unfair how ridiculous circumstances were keeping them from coming out as an official couple. But they did agree to it. For now, they were just going to have to ride out the unfortunate consequences and deal with them, however long they last.

Beca was never a fan of awkward moments and eventually sparked another conversation. "So, uh–wanna run with me?" Her almost bashful grin was adorable and instantly made the redhead feel at home again.

"Hmm..." Chloe hummed, bringing her hand up to her chin in a pondering gesture, before glancing one last time at the track star and smirking. "Race ya!" She shouted, taking off with a giggle, but it wasn't long before the laughing brunette behind her was hot on her trail.

* * *

Cheeks glowing red and sweat glistening on skin, Beca and Chloe strolled into the girl's locker room together, naturally breaking off to go to their assigned lockers. This was the first time Beca realized they were located in the same aisle. Beca's stood on the far left side, while Chloe's locker was on the far right. This gave both girls a perfect view of each other; Chloe secretly planning on using that to her advantage later.

After pulling out her change of clothes, Beca felt her cheeks heating up as her nerves were reminded of the fact that she still had to take a shower. Her cobalt eyes anxiously glanced over at the redhead, who was currently pulling out a pink towel from one of her bags, confirming that she too was planning on taking a shower. Beca gulped and couldn't help but stay frozen in place as her mind shot back and forth with an internal debate.

Was this okay? Was it okay for them to shower together? Well, not _together,_ together right? It wasn't a big deal. So what if they were now, like, girlfriends? Friends with benefits? It was fine. They were just going to be naked together in the same room. No biggie. Their towels and the tile walls between each stall would certainly keep an funny business out of the question. So, it was okay. Right?

 ** _Right?_**

"Are you okay?"

The question snapped Beca out of her rapid thoughts and the brunette blinked her way back to the real world. "What?"

Chloe giggled and closed her locker door, her clothes and towel hanging off one arm as she approached the doe eyed brunette. "I said, are you okay? You were just standing there with this weird look on your face."

"O-Oh, I was?" Of course Beca knew that she had accidentally zoned out, but she really hoped the redhead wouldn't have seen it. And now here she was, on the spot, stuttering her short words because Chloe just had to be looking at her, with those brilliant blue eyes, the way she always does when Beca can't help but make a fool out of herself. Like she was an adorable puppy trying figure out a new trick for the first time. Only, figuring out how to act like a normal, methodical human being around the intimidating redhead was a trick Beca was beginning to think she could never master.

Chloe chuckled, amused, as always, by Beca's obvious nervousness around her. And so what if Chloe liked flustering the brunette on purpose? She was just too cute to resist.

Beca's eyes tensely flicked down to the pink cloth hanging from Chloe's right arm and the small, but noticeable gesture gave the redhead all the answer she needed to explain why the track star seemed so uneasy.

Chloe tilted her head to the side at this new realization and an entertained smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Are you nervous about showering with me?"

Beca's breath hitched in her throat and her eyes instantly widened to the point where Chloe thought they were going to pop out of their sockets.

"What!?" Beca regrettably shrieked, embarrassed by the way her voice dramatically elevated, but much too focused on the startling question to really care.

Chloe couldn't hold it in any longer and finally burst out into laughter. "Oh my gosh, I didn't mean it like _that_ , Beca!" She brought her free hand up to her forehead as she shook her head, her laughter coming down to a chuckle. "I just mean like, I remember how _ridiculously_ nervous you were the first time we showered here." She quickly glanced at Beca's bottom lip, which was now caught between the brunette's teeth as she nervously chewed on it. Chloe internally smirked and took another step forward. "Seeing as how we've come a pretty long way since then," she teased, lowering her voice to a sultry whisper and enjoying the way Beca's chest rose and fell to an irregular pattern, "I can only imagine how nervous you are now."

Beca's defensive side instantly, and somewhat thankfully, kicked in and she managed to straighten herself out before clarifying with, "I'm not nervous." She was lying through her teeth, but desperately tried to make it sound convincing.

Chloe's brows shot up in a playful manner and Beca knew that she may have just gotten herself into something she was not completely prepared for.

"Oh, really?" Chloe grinned, eyeing the way Beca's throat bobbed as she swallowed.

"Y-Yeah," the brunette shrugged, shifting her eyes away from Chloe's intense gaze. "Why would I be?"

The brief moment of silence afterward felt like decades to Beca and the brunette anxiously waited for the redhead to come back with some sort of reply. Something. Anything. Beca could practically _feel_ Chloe's eyes scanning her and the added silence was doing no justice to easing her involuntary apprehensiveness.

"Okay." Chloe unexpectedly broke the thick air with a high pitched chirp that Beca thought was just _way_ too casual for the situation. It immediately triggered the _"Warning: Danger Ahead"_ sirens to start blaring in the track star's clouded mind.

Beca heatedly watched as the ginger dropped her clothes and towel onto a nearby wooden bench, then crossed her arms and hooked her fingers under the purple t-shirt she was wearing. Chloe leisurely pulled the garment up until she was left in her light blue sports bra. Beca's heart felt painfully tight in her chest and her cheeks were as hot as the fire burning in the pit of her stomach. She knew exactly what Chloe was doing, but the knowledge of her antic did nothing to stop Beca's eyes from admiring the dips and curves that outlined the cheerleader's toned abs.

Chloe sighed and ignored Beca's obvious gawking as she then slid her hands down to her tights and didn't hesitate to swiftly tugged them down.

 _Holy shit._

Beca was practically drooling but her mouth still felt dry. Chloe's slow and tantalizing movements were almost too painful to watch, and the tingling pressure in Beca's lower region was now too noticeable to ignore. This was so wrong. She shouldn't be letting Chloe shamelessly undress herself in front of her like this.

But it was just _so_ **_hard_** to move at the moment. It was like the buzzing high in her head was suspending all mobility in her body. She was frozen. Frozen by the way Chloe's hands easily slid the thin fabric off of her legs and the way her calves flexed as she lifted one knee to glide the rest of the garment off of her limb. Beca was frozen until Chloe finally tossed the tights to the side and didn't hesitate to carelessly slip her fingers under the hem of her sports bra.

 _"_ _Jesus!"_ Beca shouted, **finally** , by some miracle, coming back to her senses in time to cry out before the provoking redhead could reveal more of herself than Beca was ready to see... ** _again_**. "Okay! I give up, alright? I give up!" Chloe instantly stopped and coyly smirked at the flustered track star, who's chest was heaving like she had gone through a vigorous workout, even though she had actually only been standing still the entire time.

The brunette frustratingly groaned and clutched her things to her chest as she maneuvered her way around Chloe, heading straight for the showers. "You're so weird." Beca muttered, earning a spirited laugh from the cheerleader behind her.

"You're just too easy, Mitchell!" Chloe hollered, picking her clothes back up and following the bashful brunette into the other room.

Beca hurriedly made her way into a stall, refusing to undress in front of the bold and flagrant cheerleader. She cautiously kept her ears opened, making sure Chloe wasn't going to pull a sneak attack and yank her shower curtain open. Luckily the brunette only heard the ginger humming some pop song and opening the stall next to hers. Beca released a breath of relief and finally began undressing herself, peeking her hand out from behind the curtain to drop the discarded items to the outside floor.

"Are you seriously getting undressed in there?" Chloe mocked with a curious grin.

"Um, yes?" Beca retorted back. "There's a perv roaming around these stalls."

Chloe rolled her eyes at this, "Oh, please." She said, turning the shower head on, "Like you're really complaining?"

The track star opened her mouth to reply, but eventually bit down on her bottom lip when her mind went blank and she really didn't have anything to say back.

Chloe pridefully smirked at the brief silence, "That's what I thought." She hopped inside the stall and closed the curtain behind her as Beca mentally kicked herself for her inability to think of a good comeback. She let out an agitated huff before shaking her head in disappointment and turning the water on.

 _Smooth, Mitchell. Real smooth._

* * *

Chloe finished first, and although Beca was actually done before her, the track star wanted to make sure the redhead had enough time to get dressed so Beca wouldn't be greeted by her glorified birthday suit again. She calmly waited, the water continuing to sprawl all over her body, and after hearing enough shuffling, Beca finally turned off the shower and reached for her towel hanging just outside the curtain. She dried off her face and arms, before tightly wrapping the towel around her small figure.

"Are you fully clothed?" The question echoed within the stall and Beca could hear the redhead chuckle.

" _Yes,_ you dork. Your eyes are safe."

Beca wanted to be sure, so she gently pushed the curtain enough to peer out at her surroundings and was able to see that the cheerleader was telling the truth.

"Oh, thank God." Beca breathed, opening the curtain the rest of the way and stepping out of the stall.

Chloe confidently shrugged, "It's your loss."

Beca snickered, "What ever you say, Beale." The cheerleader grinned and made eye contact with the brunette through the mirror, winking at her before turning her attention back to her make-up bag. Beca shook her head again, trying to resist the smile that tugged on her lips and walked over to the small stack of clothes sitting on top of the sink counter. She grabbed her things and suddenly realized that _her_ birthday suit was now in danger of being exposed. She must have been standing there for a few moments too long, because her stillness unintentionally brought Chloe's attention back to her.

The redhead didn't look at her, busy focusing on herself as she applied mascara, but still spoke out to address Beca. "You know, if it's really that hard for you to change in front of me," she dropped her hand from her eye and turned to look at the track star, "you should just go change by the lockers." Her comment was stern but hinted with jest, so Beca narrowed her eyes and decided to give her what she claimed she wanted.

"Fine. Maybe I will." Beca quipped, crossing her arms in an attempt to challenge the redhead. The track star miscalculated Chloe's will power and the ginger just rose her brow with a smirk.

"Fine." She retorted, swiftly turning back to face the mirror, genuinely appearing like she really didn't care. Beca's jaw slightly dropped in surprise. She honestly didn't think their little banter would be over so quickly and her face scrunched in slight disappointment.

"Fine," Beca murmured, spinning on her heel to face to other direction, but hesitating. She still couldn't believe Chloe just cut off their little fun like that. Or so Beca thought they were having fun. Maybe they weren't? It just seemed so out of character for Chloe to unexpectedly end their back and forth teasing. Beca found herself beginning to panic at the idea that she may have offended or upset the redhead some how.

Little did Beca know, as she stood with her back facing the cheerleader, Chloe was brewing up a mischievous little prank and took the opportunity to pick up her pink towel. She stretched it out in her hands and quietly spun it into a twisted roll. She waited one more second to make sure the brunette wasn't going to turn around anytime soon, then finally brought her arms back and tenaciously whipped it out in front of her.

 ** _*SMACK*_**

 _"Ow!"_ Beca yelped, instantly dropping everything she held in her hands in favor of reaching for her now stinging rear end. She quickly spun around and faced the redhead who was gripping her pink towel in one hand and holding onto her stomach with the other; her cheeks turning pink with laughter. "Seriously, dude?! What the hell?" Chloe opened her eyes, her laughter dwindling, and Beca furrowed her brow at the way she brought a hand up to her mouth and coyly bit down on her index finger. "What?" Beca asked, quirking an eyebrow suspiciously.

Chloe removed her finger and chewed on her bottom lip instead, as her eyes flicked from the track star's face down to her body. Beca tilted her head, wondering what was wrong with the ginger and why the hell she was looking at her like a lioness looks at her prey.

"Lookin' good, Becs." She flirted, grinning at the way the brunette's face twitched when realization came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks.

 _Oh no..._

Beca immediately snapped her eyes to the ground and was greeted with one of the worst sights she could have ever imagined.

There laid her towel, sprawled out in a messy bunch, along with the rest of the items she had dropped. Beca's heart immediately sank and her stomach knotted so tightly, she thought she was literally going to throw up.

 _FUCK!_

The track star clumsily bent down, grabbing her towel and clutching it against her bare chest like her life depended on it. She looked up and glared at Chloe, who was pressing her lips together, trying her absolute best to not laugh out loud again.

"You suck!" Beca cried, rapidly wrapping the towel around her tiny form as tightly as possible and rolling her eyes as the giggles returned to the clearly entertained redhead. After picking up the rest of her clothes, Beca instantaneously spun around and stormed out of the shower room.

"Oh come on, Becs!" Chloe laughed, "I didn't know you were going to drop your towel!"

Beca finished getting fully dressed by her locker, and after somewhat calming down from her moment of horror, she languidly reentered in the shower room. Chloe looked to have finished applying her makeup and was now touching up her hair. Beca dropped her towel on the counter and glared over at the occupied ginger.

"I hate you." She muttered, triggering a grin to spread on Chloe's face and the cheerleader turned her head to look at her.

"Aww." She walked over to the agitated brunette and was happy she didn't pull her hands away when Chloe weaved them together. "You don't mean that." She teased, placing her forehead on the younger girl's.

Beca rolled her eyes. Damn Chloe and her irresistibleness. "Yeah, whatever." She mumbled, then backed away with a flare of energy. "But seriously, Chlo! That was really embarrassing!"

Beca's adorable outbursts never ceased to amuse Chloe. "I'm sorry!" She apologized, placing her hands on the pouting brunette's hips and pulling her back to her, "But for the record," she grinned, "you have a really cute butt."

"Chloe!" The track star bashfully whined, pushing away from the giggling redhead and walking over to the farthest mirror, keeping herself at a safe distance, as she finished getting herself for the day.

* * *

The girls had finished utilizing their time in the shower room and managed to get ready without anymore circumstantial distractions. They left their duffle bags in their lockers and were about to leave, when Chloe suddenly grabbed Beca's shoulder and stopped her from opening the door.

"Wait, Becs."

The brunette turned to face her, curiously, "What's up?"

"I wanted to give you something before we left." With her eyes already half-lidded, Chloe leaned in and used her body to gently press Beca up against the wall, swallowing the quiet whimper that escaped the brunette's lips as she moved her mouth against hers. The cheerleader eventually pulled back, satisfied with the way Beca's eyes seemed hazed, and smiled. "Does that make up for making you drop your towel?"

The brunette's expression didn't change, "No." She replied, flatly, causing the ginger to furrow her brow in confusion, until Beca suddenly slipped her hand behind Chloe's neck and pulled her in for another kiss. Lacking concern for the potential risk of getting caught, and allowing the sudden spark of boldness to take over her actions, Beca confidently traced the outside of Chloe's lips with her tongue and it didn't take long for the redhead to happily oblige the track star's request.

They enjoyed their carefree moment together in pure bliss, letting the stressful world around them fade and allowing themselves to briefly forget about the rules and regulations that came with maintaining a secret.

Beca was the one who broke them apart this time and smirked as she affirmed, "Now it does."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: hehe...Sorry, Beca. xD (jk I'm not that sorry)**

 **Hope you guys liked it and like I said this was split in two, so the next chapter will be a direct continuation from here. I hope to update sooner than 15 days next time.**

 **Thanks again for baring with me! Love you guys!**


	16. Unwanted Competition

**Author's 1st Note: I know these updates are getting longer and longer, and I cannot begin to say how sorry I am for that. I hate the idea of leaving you guys waiting for so long, but my schedule lately has been _CRAZY._ I do write when I can though, and don't worry, I will NEVER abandon this fic. **

**Now lets get on with the story shall we? :)**

* * *

After reluctantly splitting off to carry on about the day, Beca made her way to the main quad, searching for her Australian friend and Chloe responded to a text she had received from Aubrey.

 **Aubrey:** _Morning Chlo. Meet me in_

 _the computer lab?_

 **Chloe:** _Be there in a bit._

Chloe sighed to herself. She knew Aubrey was going to ask about what had happened at Stacie's party. She still hadn't talked to her about it and Chloe wasn't too thrilled about bringing up such a sensitive topic so early in the morning.

She made her way to the computer lab and walked in to find her blonde friend typing vigorously on one of the keyboards.

"Hey, Bree," she said, placing her bag on the table.

Aubrey kept her gaze on the screen and held up her pointer finger.

"One sec," she said, finishing the sentence she was working on, then clicking 'save' before spinning in the computer chair and smiling. "Hey." She stood up and gave her friend a quick hug before separating and keeping her hands on the ginger's shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Here it comes.

Chloe lightly sighed, "I'm fine, Aubrey." And she wasn't surprised when the blonde's doubtful reaction immediately arose on her face.

"Don't give me that." She used her grip on the redhead's shoulders to lower her down onto a neighboring chair and sat back down in hers. "What happened at Stacie's party? What happened with Tom?"

And Chloe hesitated. Should she tell Aubrey everything? And if she did, how should she say it? How would Aubrey react? The entire incident was hard enough to talk about and Chloe didn't want a negative domino effect to continue with Aubrey giving her more stress about the whole thing. But she was, after all, her best friend. They had been friends since the sixth grade. Chloe still didn't understand why Aubrey felt the way she did towards Beca, but Chloe already had enough secrets to hide. As she let out a breath, Chloe finally settled on the decision to let Aubrey in.

Well, to an extant.

"Alright." Chloe started, turning head to face her concerned friend, "You remember when Tom came up to us and asked if he could speak with me?" Aubrey nodded. "Well we went up to Stacie's room to talk and at first everything was fine. But then–" She shut her eyes, memories of the verbal attack flashing through her mind, and Chloe felt like she was there all over again.

She could feel her heart rate rising and her body beginning to tremble as Tom's voice grew louder and harsher. She could feel the fear knotting in her stomach as he stepped closer and closer to her face. She could feel her heart breaking at every vile and hurtful word he spat at her.

Aubrey brought Chloe back for a moment when she used her thumb to wipe a tear that had escaped Chloe's eye without the redhead even realizing it.

"Hey, Chloe," Aubrey said softly, "What happened? You can tell me."

The frazzled redhead kept her eyes shut, almost trapped in the horrible memory, but she still managed to speak up.

"Tom, he..."

She was back in the room and felt the lump in her throat thickening as Tom backed her into the bed and his angry eyes pierced right her right down to her core. The room around began to get smaller and smaller, closing in on her and tightening her chest to the point where she felt like she couldn't breath.

And then there was Beca.

A small light in the darkness that brought Chloe's spinning world to a halt when she came to her rescue, bravely putting her tiny self in front of the intoxicated brute. Beca was there for her. She protected her and saved her from worse events that could have taken place. Who knows what would have happened had Beca not shown up.

Chloe remembered feeling her tense body easing at her hero's presence and how she defended her and her feel safe. But the relief didn't last and Chloe couldn't control the flow of her tears as she remembered the way Beca was aggressively pushed back and the sound of her head colliding with the wooden bed frame rang in Chloe's ears. She released a small whimper and finally opened her eyes.

"He hurt her," she cried.

Aubrey was trying her best to comfort the distressed redhead, but the comment confused her.

"He hurt who?"

And Chloe just let it go, "Beca."

The answer didn't help clear things up at all and instead confused the blonde even more.

Aubrey furrowed her brow, "Beca?" and sat up in her chair, "How did he hurt Beca? What does she have to do with anything?"

Chloe sighed and wiped the remaining tears off of her face, bracing herself for the explanation Aubrey needed to hear in order to fully understand. After taking a brief moment to compose herself, she finally spoke, "Tom was angry with me for breaking up with him. I think he was drunk because I've never seen him that crazy before. He was screaming and yelling and cursing things at me." She felt tears welling up in her eyes again, but she held them back to continue the story. "He backed me into the bed and I was so scared he was going to do something to me, but before he even got a chance to, Beca suddenly showed up and stood in front of me to protect me."

Aubrey's eyes went wide with mixed emotions; Shock, horror, hurt, confusion. And thankfully Chloe didn't leave her hanging for too long as she continued explaining.

"He put his hands on Beca and she punched him in the face. When he saw that his nose was bleeding, he freaked out and lunged at her. That's when he pushed her and she–" Her voice lowered and she dropped her head as she finished, "She fell and hit her head against the bed frame."

The new information struck Aubrey hard, "What?!" She shrieked, "Is–Is she okay?" And even she couldn't believe that she was genuinely concerned for the smaller brunette. But even though she didn't necessarily "like" Beca, the news was still horrifying, and deep down, Aubrey wasn't _that_ heartless.

Chloe sniffled and looked back up at her, "She was unconscious for a few minutes, but she's okay now."

It was now Aubrey who had tears glistening her light eyes and she reached forward to pull her friend into a warm embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Chlo." It was barley a whisper, but Aubrey didn't know what else she could possible say about the whole thing. She squeezed tighter, "I should have been there." She muttered, disappointed in herself for being, what she felt, was a lousy best friend. But Chloe separated them with another sniffle, and shook her head.

"Aubrey, it's not your fault."

"It might as well have been." The usual tough and strong willed blonde, was now speaking with a damaged and almost broken tone of voice. Chloe didn't see this side of her too often. "I just stood there and let him take you."

Chloe shook her head again, "No, Aubrey–" and grabbed ahold of her best friend's hands. "Listen, you couldn't have known what was going to happen. Heck, I didn't even know that was going to happen. Okay? It's nobody's fault." And despite the sensitive situation, Chloe huffed, "If anything, it's Tom's fault for letting himself get carried away like that."

Aubrey remained silent, her gaze still lowered, and it took her a few seconds to shake her head.

"I still can't believe he did that. I just never thought of him as that kind of guy."

Chloe softly shrugged, because honestly, out of the many years she had known Tom, she would have **never** imagined him freaking out on on her the way that he did. It was so out-of-character, which thinking back is what really frightens Chloe the most. Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought.

"Neither did I."

The air was thick with emotion and the immense silence was filled with impact. The first school bell eventually broke the heavy tension in the room and both girls looked up in response as they were snapped out of their own thoughts. Chloe then looked at Aubrey and gave her a soft, half smile.

"That's my cue." She stood up from her chair and Aubrey mirrored her actions, bringing her in for one more hug.

"Thank you for telling me," Aubrey said against red hair. The cheerleader didn't reply with words, but rather another soft, but this time reassuring smile. She grabbed her bag and made her way to the door, stopping when Aubrey spoke up again.

"I'm sorry about Beca." Chloe smiled, slightly amazed by the surprising statement, but immensely appreciative of it none the less.

She turned around, "Thanks, Aubrey," then finally walked out the door.

* * *

Beca plopped down in her chair and sighed with Amy following her lead. They had found each other in the quad soon after Beca had come out of the locker room and Amy spent most of the time describing her very peculiar ordeal at Stacie's party. It apparently involved five red solo cups, a butter knife, three lemons, and two ping-pong balls. She said it was a very educational experience.

Sometime half way through class, Beca felt something tap her arm and looked down to find a folded piece of paper. She glanced over in the direction it came from and quirked an eye brow at her Australian friend.

"Open it," Amy whispered, in a _"duh obviously"_ sort of way.

Beca playfully furrowed her brow, "What are we, twelve?" She mockingly whispered back.

"Excuse me." They jerked their heads towards their bothered teacher, "Please pay attention." The man turned back around to continue the lesson, and Amy looked back at Beca.

She widened her eyes and gritted her teeth as she mouthed, _"Open it."_

Beca rolled her eyes and finally gave in. She opened the paper and read it to herself:

 _So did you and ginger get it_

 _on during the party or what?_

The track star slowly tilted her head towards the Aussie, unamused, and glared at her.

"Seriously?" She muttered, and Amy brought a finger up to her lips in a 'shushing' manner, then used her hands to mimic writing on a paper. Beca let out an annoyed huff then picked up her pencil and repled to the irritating blonde.

 ** _NO_** _Amy, I did not "get it on"_

 _with Chloe._

And okay, so maybe she was sort of, kind of lying, but she couldn't tell her the truth. And besides, even if she could, it definitely wasn't any of her business anyway.

Amy chuckled when she could hear it in her mind the way Beca would have said that and continued to jot down her response.

 _You sure? Cuz I didn't see you_

 _guys for the rest of the night._

Beca rolled her eyes again.

 _That's because we left early._

When Amy read that part, she looked over at Beca with her brows raised and a suggestive smirk toyed on her lips.

 _Interesting..._

 _What'd you guys do? Get it on? ;D_

Beca was far too into her counter response to notice her teacher making his way up her aisle. A dark graphite line dragged on the paper as he snatched the paper from under her. Both she and Amy widened their eyes in guilt and fear at the man and Beca felt her heart sink when he began to read their conversation out loud.

"So did you and ginger get it _on_ during the party or what?" He said, in a sarcastic and purposely obnoxious tone

"Mr. Selby, wait, please–" Beca begged, but her pleas were ineffective and he continued.

"No, Amy. I did not get it on with Chloe." He taunted, and the track star grew mortified as she looked around and saw the eyes of her peers staring at her, whispering things to each other.

All Beca could so was sit there in a bewildered and flustered state as the man finished his form of punishment. He dropped the paper back down to her desk.

"Miss. Mitchell, if you don't intend on sharing your conversations to the rest of the class, then I suggest you pay attention from now on."

She could hear quiet snickers and giggles as Mr. Selby returned to the board and she quickly snapped her head to Amy, who's mouth was shaped in a small 'o' and she gazed back at her with an apologetic look before mouthing, _"Sorry."_

Beca was sure she was blushing, her face felt like it was on fire and she gaped at the blonde before mouthing back, _"I hate you."_

* * *

Eventually Beca managed to somewhat get over the embarrassing incident and by the time fourth period came around, all she could think about was getting to work with Chloe for the entire period. She found herself missing the redhead all morning and wished she had more classes with her. Beca walked into the classroom and sat down knowing the redhead would probably be late.

Amy had been bickering with Bumper, but when she saw her smaller friend come in, she ignored the rest of his idiotic comments and turned to face the track star.

"Hey short stack." Beca was looking at her notebook and shifted her eyes up to look at Amy, "No hard feelin's about earlier right?" She playfully grinned, knowing the brunette would eventually get over it.

Beca looked back down at her book, "We'll see," she muttered. The bell rang, and almost as if on cue, Chloe rushed through the door.

"Made it!" She yelped and grinned at Ms. Gail, who slowly shook her head like a mother watching her child doing something completely wrong, but internally grinning at the effort to get it right.

"Just barely, Chloe. Now please take your seat."

The cheerleader did just so and her smile naturally widened when she eyed her favorite little brunette. Chloe eagerly sat down and leaned over towards her to whisper a cheerful, "Hey."

Beca smirked, but kept her eyes on Ms. Gail as the older woman began explaining the lesson for the day.

"Why are you always late?" The track star responded back, knowing the answer would most likely be amusing.

Chloe shrugged, "I like to stop and smell the roses."

Beca snickered and after Ms. Gail finished explaining the "game plan", so to speak, she released the students to their work stations and Beca started pulling out their supplies from the bottom cabinet, while Chloe grabbed the ingredients they needed from the main table.

Ms. Gail started them off with a simple, but very delicious, first assignment: Chocolate chip cookies.

Chloe came back to place the ingredients on their counter, then moved to the sink next to Beca to wash her hands.

"So I heard we totally didn't get it on after Stacie's party."

Beca involuntarily dropped the bowl she had been holding and fumbled around to quickly pick it back up, her face uncontrollably blushing when Chloe giggled at her clumsiness.

"W-Where'd you hear that?" Beca nervously asked, her eyes slightly bulging with shock and embarrassment.

"Word travels fast around here, Becs." Chloe giggled again, then turned her attention to measuring the flour, "It's okay, though." She casually said, dumping the correct amount into the main bowl, "I'm glad you set the record straight." She winked, deepening the shade of pink already glowing from Beca's heated cheeks.

The track star swallowed the thickness that had formed in her throat as she replayed the vivid memories of their heated session in Chloe's car. She remembered how intoxicating the redhead was and still couldn't believe the lack of self control she had whenever she was with the addicting cheerleader.

Beca released a breathy chuckled, attempting to cover up her uneasiness and grinned.

"Yeah, for sure."

Satisfied with her dose of "Beca Mitchell teasing", Chloe grabbed the instructions and managed to work with the track star civilly...well to an extant. Although she was through with her teasing, Chloe still couldn't quite control her flirtiness when it came to the athletic brunette, and Beca fought hard to stay calm whenever Chloe would "show" her how to do something by "unintentionally" placing her hands on hers and guiding her through the actions– which seemed to be happening during _every_ step of the assignment.

"Chloe, I've got this." Beca muttered when the cheerleader tried to show her how to stick the pan in the oven and Beca knew she was totally pressing into her back on purpose.

The redhead brought her hands up in defense and backed away innocently.

"Sorry. Just trying to be thorough."

Beca craned her neck to look over her shoulder, "Mhmm," she hummed doubtfully, then carefully slid the tray into oven, unaware of the way Chloe was secretly checking her out from behind.

Or maybe not so secretly.

Fat Amy had been keeping an eye on her two peers, glancing at them through the corner of her eye every so often. While most of her attention was focused on Beca and Chloe, Amy's subconscious was working on balling the dough and placing it evenly on her pan. As her suspicious eyes observed the way Chloe softly chewed her bottom lip when Beca was placing their pan into the oven, her occupied hands reached for more dough, only to feel nothing but an empty bowl.

Her eyes rapidly flicked from the two girls, to the empty container, then up to Bumper who was contently sliding one of his fingers out of his mouth.

"Bumpah!"

The brunette widened his eyes and finished removing his finger with a _'pop'_.

"What?" He innocently asked.

Amy gaped at him, "We were suppose to make twenty-four cookies!" She looked back down at the half empty tray. "We've only got twelve!"

The carefree boy simply shrugged, clearly unaffected by Amy's deep concern of their lack of cookie dough.

* * *

Class ended fairly well for most of the pairs. Emily and Benji got an A plus on the assignment and Emily celebrated by excitedly kissing the curly haired boy on the cheek. Beca snickered at how obviously dazed and flustered he became after the cute little gesture but quickly composed herself when Ms. Gail approached her and Chloe to inspect and taste their pastries.

They received an A minus because Ms. Gail claimed that their cookies were a bit too salty. Beca wasn't surprised by this since Chloe had startled her when she covered her hand with hers while she was measuring the salt and the brunette jerked at the sudden touch, resulting in a few too many grains falling into the mixing bowl.

After Ms. Gail finished with them and moved on to the next pair, Chloe grinned at the track star.

"A minus," she said, picking up one of the cookies and holding it up to her mouth, "Not bad for our first time." She winked, slyly insinuating something much more mischievous, before taking a bite.

Beca laughed when the redhead's face contorted and she scrunched her nose at the bitter taste. Chloe stuck out her tongue with a "Bleh..." and put the half eaten cookie back down on the tray. "Yeah," she nodded, "a little too much salt."

* * *

After the class ended, the track star and the cheerleader reluctantly parted ways but knew that they would get a glimpse of each other later on during practice. With a quick platonic hug and a wave goodbye, Chloe made her way to the quad while Beca walked to the cafeteria with Amy by her side.

"So did you know gingah was checkin' out your bum durin' class today?"

Beca reacted instantly to the comment and snapped her eyes over to the Australian as they stood in line to get their food.

"What?" She blinked, and Amy fought the grin that was begging to be expressed.

"Gingah," she said again, "I saw her lookin' at your little bum when you were stickin' your biscuits in the oven."

Beca knew that there was no way she could deny this, after all she wasn't even aware of it herself. But she was able to think quick and doubtfully shook her head.

"Nah," she said, crossing her arms, "she was probably just checking out the cookies."

 _Nice,_ Beca complimented herself, but Amy quirked an eyebrow.

"You sure about that?" She questioned, and Beca nodded.

"Oh yeah," she nonchalantly waved, "she was complaining about how hungry she was. That was probably it." She reassured.

"Mhmm..." Amy hummed and watched the brunette order her food as she muttered under her breath, "What ever you say, Beca."

* * *

It was finally time for practice and Beca was thankful that there were other girls in the locker room, knowing it meant Chloe would behave a bit better that she usually did during their _interesting_ mornings.

The redhead had gotten changed before Beca could finish and slammed her locker shut, trying to get the brunette's attention. Her plan succeeded and the track star quickly looked over to see Chloe wink at her before dramatically spinning around and strutting her way out of the room. Beca couldn't help but snicker and shake her head as the amusing cheerleader never seized to make her smile.

* * *

"Hey, Becaw!" Jesse widely grinned, opening his arms and bringing the small brunette into an awkward hug. Beca wasn't a fan of such physical contact, that is of course unless it was from Chloe, so she quickly pushed away from her friendly neighbor, struggling to free herself form his bear grip.

"Don't ever do that again," she muttered, and Jesse finally let her go with a chuckle.

"Sorry, can't help it."

"Okay my people, let's get this practice started." The athletes surrounded their coach as he called them in. "I want a warm-up lap around the track. Let's go!" With the dismissal the runners took off, Luke taking the lead, but Beca and Jesse following closely behind.

"He always has to be first," Jesse murmured between pants, still finding it difficult to keep up with Beca's natural speed.

"Not for long," the brunette confidently responded. She was determined to put that English boy in his place by the end of the year. If it was the last thing she did.

As they came around the second to last turn, Jesse began falling behind and Beca was somewhat grateful for it, since she could now look over at Chloe without being questioned by the curious boy.

The cheerleaders were still stretching by the time Beca came around. Chloe could hear the approaching joggers and instantly looked up from her downward stretch position to meet the brunette's eyes. They knew there were too many people around to give any noticeable gestures to one another, but the moment their eyes caught a glimpse of each other, they just couldn't resist the natural grins from spreading wide across their faces.

They maintained their elated gaze until Beca rounded the final turn, breaking their enjoyable view of each other, then Chloe switched to a different position.

"What was that?"

The sudden question caught her off guard but Chloe knew it was for her. Her cheeks flushed with guilt as she jerked her head to the side.

"What?" She asked, her voice higher in pitch than she had intended.

" _What_ was that?" Stacie asked again, gesturing with her eyes and head in a you-know-exactly-what-I'm-talking-about way.

The redhead nervously chuckled and furrowed her brow, "What are you talking about, Stace?" And the taller girl's face stilled in an obvious manner.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." They switched to another stretching position and Stacie had to look between her legs to make eye contact with the ginger behind her. "I saw the way you two were just smiling at each other. Like in a more than friendly way, if you know what I mean." She winked, and if Chloe's cheeks didn't match her hair then, they certainly did now. But the cheerleader maintained her strong willed performance and shook her head with doubt.

"Stace, seriously that's not what's going on. She's my partner in cooking class and we were both just smiling about something funny that happened during class today." They moved from their standing positions in favor of sitting on the ground, stretching forward to touch their toes. "That's all." Chloe finished with clarification and she heard Stacie hum.

"Okay," the taller girl said, "Well since _you're_ not into her, then I think I'm gonna hop on that sexy train myself."

Chloe's eyes widened, "What!?" She uncontrollably shrieked and Stacie grinned at her.

"Yeah, I mean she's really hot," she shrugged, "and I like her." Stacie brought herself up from her toes and stretched her neck to the side, still holding her gaze with the befuddled redhead. "That doesn't bother you, does it?"

And Chloe's stomach violently twisted at the very question. Of course it bothered her that Stacie was not only interested in Beca but now also considering actually making a move on her? Chloe's insides burned with protective jealously. She desperately wanted to tell Stacie, _"Yes, it actually does. Very much,"_ and to _"Back off."_

But she couldn't.

She couldn't break that trust with Beca. What they had was real and special, but unfortunately it was still a secret. Chloe chewed the inside of her cheek as she pondered a proper response, then after a few seconds reluctantly chuckled and opened her mouth to say,

"No, of course not." She shrugged, not only to support her I-don't-really-care facade, but also to loosen her muscles which had subconsciously tensed with her hidden emotions. "Why would I care?"

And Stacie slightly narrowed her eyes with a smirk, "Right. Why would you care?"

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Oh snap, Stacie went there. Better get your shit together Chloe!**


	17. Girlfriend

**Author's 1st Note: Can't apologize enough for the wait, but I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

"Hey, Beca."

The track star recognized the dainty voice and turned around, dropping the water bottle she was drinking from away from her mouth.

"Oh," Beca said, wiping a droplet of water left on her lips, "Hi, Stacie."

"How was practice?" She asked, in a suspiciously cheery tone that made Beca furrow her brow in confusion.

"Uh, good...I guess." She noticed the way Stacie's eyes shamelessly traveled down her petite figure and the fingers of her free hand began to fidget with themselves as she quickly grew uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, did you need something, or...?"

Stacie flicked her eyes back up to meet the questioning brunette's and she giggled, boldly taking a step closer, "Actually–"

* * *

Practice had just finished for the cheerleaders and Chloe was discussing plans for their upcoming football game with her head coach. She was completely unaware of Stacie's whereabouts, until she walked over to her water bottle by the field goal and looked up, slightly dropping her jaw at the shocking sight of the taller girl openly flirting with Beca.

Chloe couldn't believe it. Stacie had _just_ told her about her "attraction" to Beca and now she was already pouncing on her territory?

Oh **hell** no.

"Hey, guys!"

"Chloe!" Beca yelped, guilty eyes flying from Stacie to the smiling redhead approaching from behind.

"What are you two talking about?" She asked, in a carefree way that worried Beca, and the ginger innocently smiled, patiently waiting for an answer from either girl.

Beca opened her mouth to respond, but was beat out by Stacie.

"I was just about to ask Beca for her number actually." She grinned, prompting both girls to widened their eyes in a dynamic combination of shock and disturbance.

Chloe dropped her jaw, "You _what?"_ While Beca quirked an eyebrow.

"You were?"

Stacie promptly nodded, "Mhmm," and bit her lower lip as she turned back to face Beca. "So can I have it?"

"Uhh..." The brunette nervously shifted her eyes between the two cheerleaders. What the hell was going on? "Why?" She questioned, desperately wanting the incredibly awkward moment to just end.

Stacie giggled at this, earning a burning glare from Chloe but blatantly disregarding her as she softly glided a hand down Beca's arm. The track star froze in place at the unexpected gesture and Chloe gritted her teeth. Her eyes followed the agitating path of Stacie's hand, and her cheeks burned with jealousy as she fought hard to keep her mouth shut.

"Because I'd like to take you out sometime." Stacie flicked her eyes back up to meet the dumbfounded track star's and didn't even bother to acknowledge the distressed redhead beside her.

The brunette had no clue what was going on, nor how to really handle it. On one hand she had Stacie, a tall and okay, pretty attractive girl, asking her take her out while leaving a trail of unintentional goosebumps on her arm. And on the other, she had Chloe, her secret... _whatever_ she was, who looked just as lost but also like she would totally strangle her co-captain if she wouldn't get expelled for it.

Beca quickly looked to the redhead for something, anything. An answer, an explanation, a decision she should make. But Chloe was just as bewildered and anxiously shrugged, shaking her head with wide eyes, unsure of what Beca should do.

The track star ensnared her bottom lip, nervously looking back up at the grinning cheerleader.

"Wait, seriously?" Beca asked, and was answered by another hum from Stacie. Beca knew that if she said no, Stacie would keep pursuing and continue to question why the hell not. So as much as she really didn't want to, Beca did what she had to do.

"O-Okay..."

Stacie beamed, "Great!" And finally removed her hand from it's teasing position on Beca's arm to bend down and pull out her cellphone from her duffle bag. Chloe irritably gaped at Beca, to which the track star just gestured in a what-the-hell-am-I-suppose-to-do kind of way.

Stacie popped back up and typed in a few things before handing the device to her.

"Here." Beca took the phone and hesitantly typed out her number, focused on the screen and missing the way Stacie slyly grinned at Chloe. The redhead simply mirrored her expression, secretly counting the ways she could possibly kill her right about now.

After she was finished, Beca handed back the cellphone, feeling Chloe's disapproving eyes on her and really not looking forward to confronting them once Stacie was gone. The taller cheerleader grinned and picked up her bag.

"Thanks, Beca." She took one more step closer to the track star, "See you around." With a wink and flirty wave goodbye, Stacie finally left the duo and made her way down to the locker room.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Beca asked, spinning around to face the equally distraught redhead.

Chloe's jaw still hung open in shock, "I can't believe she just did that."

"Dude, what is going on? Did you know about this?" The brunette's questions brought the cheerleader's attention back to her.

"No! Well, I mean–" Chloe sighed and crossed her arms as she leaned up against a nearby wall. "She saw the way we were looking at each other when you ran by earlier and she asked me if I liked you. I of course said no and then out of no where she says that she thinks you're hot and that she likes you."

Beca quirked an eyebrow, "She does?" And the sound of her genuine curiosity didn't go unnoticed by the ginger.

Chloe snapped her gaze over to her, "Hey," she cautioned, moving off the wall to step closer to the brunette with her index finger extended and her eyes narrowed, "that's not the point." She straightened herself back up, but couldn't help the sudden moment of childishly jealously, "Why did you give her your number?" She whined, and Beca scoffed.

"Well what was I supposed to do? Was I suppose to say: _Oh, I'm sorry, I already have a girlfriend who's actually standing right next to you?"_ Beca was too into her sarcasm to catch the words that so easily slipped out of her mouth.

Chloe froze as her eyes widened and the sly grin that slowly crept on her lips made Beca realize what she had just said and the track star immediately began to panic.

"W-Wait, I uh–"

"So, I'm your girlfriend?" She was still grinning wickedly, but the sincerity in her voice helped eased Beca's worries. The brunette shrugged with a sheepish grin, nervously rubbing the back of her neck as her cheeks turned a crimson shade darker.

"I mean, you kind of already are, aren't you?" And damn the uncontrollably anxiety she always felt when it came to talking with the ginger. "B-Because if you don't want to, then that's totally fine! I just thought that maybe–"

"Beca! Will you stop?" Chloe giggled, wanting to reach for her hands, but very aware of the many peers still around them. "I would love to be your girlfriend."

Beca smiled, relieved that Chloe saved her from her incessant rambling but also feeling her stomach flutter at the redhead's response. "Yeah?"

There was a moment where steel met the ocean and the delightful weight that came with the official title, _"girlfriend",_ happily settled within them with more ease than either girl had expected. There was something so _right_ about liking each other. Beca and Chloe hadn't known each other for very long and nothing about their relationship so far had been normal or typical, but it just worked. They were drawn to each other by an unexplainable force and although there were still so many questions unanswered, in this moment, the only question that mattered was definitely answered.

They both wanted this.

Chloe bit her lip as she nodded her head undoubtedly. She quickly glanced around before leaning forward to whisper in the track star's ear.

"If we weren't at school right now, I'd totally kiss you." She back away with a playful smirk and chuckled at the way Beca noticeably gulped.

"Hey, Becaw!" The brunette flinched at the obnoxious interruption and turned around to see Jesse waving her over to the crowd of other track runners walking into the athletic building. "Come on, we've got weight training today!"

Beca groaned and rolled her eyes, turing back to face Chloe. "I forgot today's Monday. I still have thirty minutes of practice left."

Chloe smiled, "It's okay. I'll text you later."

And Beca smiled back, "Okay." They desperately wanted to give each other a proper goodbye, but instead settled for a sweet glance and a wave goodbye. The cheerleader walked down to the locker room while Beca leisurely made her way to the weight room.

* * *

Beca actually enjoyed weight training. They were basically given thirty minutes of free workout time where you could exercise which ever part of your body you wanted, with who ever you wanted, and the only rule was that you had to be doing _something._

Beca and Jesse always partnered up and this time decided to start with bench presses. Jesse properly positioned himself under the weight bar, while Beca stood behind to spot him.

"So what were you and Chloe talking about earlier?" Jesse asked, lifting the forty-five pounds from it's resting position and bringing it down to his chest.

Beca made a questioning face, "Why?"

Jesse half shrugged, pushing the heavy weight back up towards the ceiling, "I don't know," then bringing it back down, "just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, ya know." Beca snickered, jokingly avoiding the topic.

Jesse grunted as he pushed the weight back up for the fifth time, "Yeah, but satisfaction brought him back."

The brunette rolled her eyes with an amused smirk, "How long have you been waiting to use that one?"

"A while." Jesse admitted, slowing his pace and cuing Beca to step in to help return the bar to it's original resting position. Together they placed it back on the hooks and Jesse sat up, looking at the track star. "Come on, Becaw." The brunette was already removing some of the weights to bring it down to a more doable twenty-five pounds.

"I told you to stop calling me that." She finished with the weight and gestured with her thumb for Jesse to get off.

He whined, but got up and switched positions. Beca got herself situated and wrapped her fingers around the bar, frowning when her neighbor decided to lean over it and grin at her.

"Get. Off." Beca warned.

"Oh come on, don't leave me hanging. What did your girlfriend say to you?" And Beca widened her eyes a bit. How the hell did he know about that? Had he heard them talking earlier? No, he couldn't have. Jesse was just joking, he had to be. But Beca had to test it to be sure.

"I already told you she's not my girlfriend." She reassured and the boy pointed at her with an open smile.

"But you want her to be."

Good. He didn't know.

Beca just rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Can I workout now?" She pushed up against the bar and Jesse finally lifted his hands, backing away.

"Hey, I just call it as I see it."

Beca brought the bar down to her chest, "Sure," but internally snickered at how spot on he actually was. As she began her workout, her amusement for her neighbor switched pure happiness as her mind drifted to that one word.

 _Girlfriend._

 **Chloe Beale** was officially her girlfriend.

Sure they still weren't public about the whole thing, but that didn't change how they felt about each other. They both agreed to this secret life and it definitely had it's consequences, but the way their stomachs fluttered just at the sight of each other, and the way their bodies vibrated when they touched, certainly made up for it.

* * *

Physically exhausted, Beca finally made it home and went straight to her room, tossing her bags onto her bed and undressing herself as she headed for the shower. After cleaning off the sweat and dirt of the day, Beca put on a black baseball t-shirt and sweatpants before heading over to her kitchen for a snack.

She opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a half eaten bag of cheese popcorn when she heard her father come through the front door. She grabbed a small Gatorade from the fridge then took the items with her as she made her way back to her room.

"Hey, dad." She greeted, passing the opening to the living room but never making eye contact with the man.

"Hey, Bec." He knew she wouldn't come back, so he placed his bag on the table and followed her to her room. The track star dropped the items onto her bed and plopped down after them, crossing her legs and pulling her backpack onto her lap so she could start her homework.

"How was school?" Mr. Mitchell asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Beca simply shrugged, "Fine." Her father was use to these short answers, but it never stopped him from prying.

He slowly nodded, "Good. I'm glad things are working out." He watched as his daughter pulled out a binder and notebook from the bag, tossing it to the side when she was finished. She didn't respond and instead opened the bag of popcorn and shoved a handful into her mouth. "How was practiced?" He questioned again, partly because he was genuinely curious about her day, but mostly because she looked adorable with her mouth full like that and he wanted to see how funny it would be for her to try and talk.

Surely enough, the brunette struggled to swallow enough pieces so that her tongue could move, then finally mumbled out an, "It was good."

Which actually sounded more like an, _"It wah gurd."_

Mr. Mitchell smiled and slid his hands into his pockets. "Got any plans for tonight?"

The track star swallowed the rest of the popcorn and quirked an eyebrow, "Who goes out on Mondays?"

Her father chuckled, "Alright, I'll take that as a _no."_ Beca shoved another handful into her mouth and shook her head in agreement. "Okay kiddo, well I've got some papers to grade, so if you need me I'll be in the dining room.

Beca didn't want to attempt speaking again, so she just gave him a thumbs up in response and the man finally left her room, shutting the door behind him.

Beca wiped her hands on her pants and brought her binder to her lap. Thankfully she didn't have too much homework; an English worksheet and some math. So when her phone went off an hour and a half later, Beca had already finished.

She pulled out her phone and instantly smiled at the name glowing on the screen.

 **Chloe:** _Heyy "girlfriend" x)_

The track star was quick to respond.

 **Beca:** _Girlfriend? Woah ur gonna_

 _have to take me out on a date first_

 _before we give out titles. ;)_

She meant it as a joke, but the response she got back was genuinely surprising.

 **Chloe:** _Well then I guess it's a good_

 _thing I am. Get dressed._

 **Beca:** _Wait what?_

 **Chloe:** _Be there in 10 ;)_

Ten minutes!? That wasn't enough time! Beca quickly hopped to her feet and scrambled around the room in search of a change of clothes, frequently knocking over items in the process. Her anxiety heightened when she realized she hadn't done laundry in a while and was down to a limited number of options. With a frustrated groan, Beca picked out some loose fitted jeans and decided to just keep the shirt she was already wearing on.

She looked at herself through the mirror and whined with dissatisfactory. Why did she have to look like this right now?! Beca rapidly applied some eyeliner and rushed to pull her hair back into a ponytail. She didn't look her best, but it would have to do.

Her cellphone suddenly rang, startling her, and she picked it up immediately recognizing the _"Titanium"_ ringtone.

"Okay, that was not ten minutes," Beca grumbled, sticking her keys and money into her pocket.

Choe giggled on the other end, _"No it wasn't. But I'm here! Come out."_

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Beca hung up the device and shoved it into her back pocket. She swiftly slid on one converse shoe, while hopping on one foot to slip on the other; making sure to grab her jean and sweater jacket before finally leaving her room.

"Hi dad, bye dad. Going out." She quickly muttered, passing her father on the way to the front door.

Mr. Mitchell looked up with a chuckle, removing his reading glasses. "I thought people didn't go out on Mondays?"

Beca opened the door, "Yeah, well I guess Chloe does."

Her father titled his head, "Chloe Beale?" The track star didn't mean for the name to slip, but she really didn't have the time for the twenty-one questions routine.

"Yup." She nodded, stepping out of the door, "Bye!"

After locking the door, Beca turned around and smiled at the waving redhead. She slid her jacket on before entering the car and buckled herself in, looking up at the ginger when she finished.

"So what's the occasion?" Beca asked, grinning.

"Well, first things first." Chloe smiled before slipping one hand around the back of the track star's neck, tenderly grabbing her cheek with the other and pulling her in for an overdue kiss.

Beca was caught off guard by the sudden contact and released a small moan, savoring the way Chloe smiled against her lips and used her hands to pull the redhead closer. It was true that they had gotten to sneak a rather satisfying kiss earlier that morning, but who were they kidding? They were addicted to each other. And even though they had only gone a few hours without seeing each other, the short amount of time didn't change the depth of their yearning.

They missed each other.

They separated with a tender desire apparent in their hazy eyes and Chloe leaned forward, allowing her forehead to gently rest on Beca's.

"I've been wanting to do that all day."

The track star momentarily got lost in her favorite blue eyes and felt a smile curving on her lips.

"Me too." Chloe bit her bottom lip with a giggle and separated, much to Beca's dismay. She shifted her car into reverse and began backing out of the driveway, fully aware that she hadn't answered Beca's question.

The brunette waited until Chloe was in the street before asking, "So where are we going?"

"Well," the redhead started, "I figured since I am now _officially_ your girlfriend–" she sang the word with a gleeful tone that resonated in Beca's stomach and triggered the butterflies hiding there to flutter uncontrollably. "I thought that we could go out and celebrate." She briefly looked over at the track star and smiled, "Just me and you."

And if those butterflies weren't fluttering before, then they certainly were now. Beca felt like she was going to throw up, but in a good way. The way Chloe's eyes sparkled when she said that last part made Beca's insides heat up and cool all at the same time. Her chest felt heavy but she also felt like she was floating on cloud nine. She loved spending time with Chloe, especially when it was just the two of them.

* * *

They drove for a decent amount time. Chloe eventually plugged in her iPod and Beca enjoyed the small insight into Chloe's own little world. A girl's iPod is like a diary of her deepest secrets and a library of her most inner thoughts. The track star made a mental note of all the songs that the redhead reacted to the most, saving them for later.

Beca watched as Chloe turned into a neighborhood but continued upward until she made another turned and slowly drove up a quiet hill.

"Uh, Chlo...Where are we going?" It wasn't that she didn't trust the cheerleader, but she still found it weird that they seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

"You'll see." Choe finally pulled up to a parking spot and the two proceeded to get out of the car. Even though it was dark out, Beca could still make out the shape of a fairly tall hill and wondered what the hell the ginger had in mind.

"Hey, Becs." She snapped the brunette out of her thoughts and gestured for her to come around to the opened trunk. Beca furrowed her brow with an amused smirk and asked,

"What's all this?"

Chloe took out a rolled up comforter and handed it to Beca, "Here, take this." Beca grabbed the soft bedspread and quirked an interested brow.

"Chloe?" The redhead payed her no mind as she then pulled out a plastic bag from the trunk.

"Shh..." She shut the door closed and locked her car, "It's a surprise." She switched the bag over to her left hand and interlaced their fingers together with her right. "Come on." Chloe pulled the curious track star along with her and lead them to a yellow barrier sitting at the opening of what appeared to be a dirt path.

"Um, Chlo...Are we allowed here?" Beca asked, glancing around and noticing the complete lack of human activity.

Chloe chuckled, guiding them around the locked barrier, "Yeah, this is just here so cars won't drive up the path."

The track star half nodded, "Oh." She decided to stop asking questions and just let the cheerleader take her to where ever it was they were going. They hiked up the path until they reached a dividing point and with their hands still interlocked, Chloe lead them to the right. After another short hike, they eventually made it to the top and Chloe let go of Beca's hand to excitedly extend her arms to her sides.

"Ta-dah!" She cheered, adorably smiling like a child who was showing their mother a piece of art they had made. "We're here!" Beca grinned, taking a moment to checksout the stunning view of the city but looking back over at Chloe, finding her genuine, beautiful smile a much more appealing sight.

"What is this place?" Beca asked, unrolling the comforter as Chloe grabbed the other end.

"We call it _'Top of the World'._ My friends and I come here to relax and watch the sunset, or if one of us is really upset about something, we scream at the top of our lungs and let out all of our emotions." Beca laughed at this and the redhead grinned, "Hey it works." She shook her head, carefully dropping the comforter down to the ground. "I don't know why, but it works."

Once the duvet was equally laid out, Chloe dropped down to her knees and patted the space next to her so Beca could join. She picked up the plastic bag and turned it upside down, dumping its many contents onto the bedspread.

"I didn't know what your favorite snacks were," she shrugged, "so I just bought a little of everything." She looked up at the track star, who sat in stunned silence as she eyed the many treats, pondering how the hell she got so lucky to catch someone like Chloe Beale's eye.

This was so nice. It was one of the sweetest things anyone ever did for Beca. But then again, once she thought about it, Beca wasn't really all that surprised. This _was_ Chloe Beale she was talking about; the sweetest and kindest person Beca had ever met.

And she wasn't really sure what to say.

"Chlo, this is– Wow, I uh–" Yet again the track star found herself at a loss for words around the redhead, but cleared her throat to help finally get it all out. "Thank you. This is, this is really nice of you."

"Hey," Chloe reached forward and slid her hand back into Beca's, "I told you this was our little celebration." She gently squeezed, shooting a tingling sensation all throughout Beca's body. "I'm happy to do this for you," Chloe paused for a moment, bitting her bottom lip as if contemplating her next choice of words, "...for us."

And Beca just couldn't hold back anymore. She slightly stood up on her knees, leaning forward and used their connected hands to pull the redhead closer to her. She pressed their lips together, reveling in the way Chloe sighed into the kiss, and moved her free hand to hold the cheerleader's face in place.

Chloe teased the track star's lips with her tongue, which Beca happily obliged to, and they fell into a rhythmic pace; lacking urgency, but filled with affection. They knew it was safe, that is was **okay.** Okay to let go of their usual worries and just indulge themselves with each other's sweet presence.

This was **their** time.

And it was okay for them to enjoy it.

After sharing her proper thank you, for what easily felt like ten whole minutes, Beca separated from her new girlfriend and shifted her eyes down to the pile of goodies.

"Okay, so for the record," the track star picked up a small bag of hot cheetohs and held it up to her face, "I love these."

Chloe beamed, "Oh my gosh, me too! Have you ever dipped them in ice cream before?" Beca was in the middle of opening the bag but stopped, looking up at the redhead with playful disgust.

"Ew, what?"

Chloe nodded, picking up a blow pop from the pile, "Oh it's so good." She opened the candy and glanced at the brunette, "Don't knock it till you try it, Becs." She winked and popped the red sweet into her mouth.

Beca shook her head with a grin, "You're such a weirdo."

And Chloe giggled, "You love it."

They spent the next hour chatting, sharing stories and telling jokes; Thoroughly enjoying the time they had to finally get to know each other a little more. Beca was already attracted to the beautiful redhead, but the more the cheerleader spoke, the more Beca found herself falling.

Falling for the way Chloe's eyes lit up when she spoke about her favorite interests and explained why they were so amazing. Falling for the way her nose crinkled as she tightly shut her eyes and made a wish on a falling star that flew across the night sky. Falling for the way Chloe looked at her with adoring eyes that made Beca feel like she could accomplish anything.

She was falling for everything that was Chloe Beale.

And Beca had a feeling that wasn't ever going to change.

* * *

After their stomachs eventually had enough junk food, they put the remaining treats back into the plastic bag and pushed it aside so they could sit closer together in the center. Chloe casually leaned her head on Beca's shoulder and the track star tensed for a second, before mirroring the action and nuzzling the cheerleader into her neck.

They sat in a comfortable silence, watching the busy city around them, until Beca felt Chloe shiver against her.

"Are you cold?" The question was asked more out of habit, since Beca could clearly see the answer was yes.

But the redhead denied it, "N-No, I'm fine."

Beca made a face, "No you're not." She started removing her jacket but Chloe put her hands on her arms, attempting to stop her.

"No, don't, Becs. I'm fine, r-really."

The track star shrugged her girlfriend off and continued to remove the piece of clothing. "Sorry, Beale." She finished getting it off and helped Chloe slide her arms into it. "I'm a gentleman."

Chloe laughed at this, but still pouted, "But now you're gonna be cold." She gestured to the t-shirt Beca was left in and the brunette just shrugged.

"Well," she scooted closer to the ginger and smoothly wrapped her arms around her waist, pressing against her side, "I guess we'll just have to cuddle." Chloe smirked at her and the track star finished with, "Ya know, so I can stay warm."

Chloe quirked an eyebrow, "Mhmm."

Beca chuckled and dropped back, pulling the redhead with her and earned a lighthearted giggle in the process. She kept her firm hold on cheerleader as she playfully nuzzled her head into her neck and Chloe's giggles turned into full on laughter.

"Ah!" Chloe yelped, weakly trying the push the brunette off of her, "Beca, that tickles!"

The track star kept going, laughing and struggling to keep the redhead still, but eventually putting her out of her misery by lifting her head and replacing her hair with her lips. Chloe immediately felt the difference and eased her writhing, humming in approval as Beca continued to place soft kisses against her neck. She brought a hand up to tangle in dark tresses and gently massaged her scalp.

Beca easily melted into her touch and snuggled into her more. Chloe smelled like roses and vanilla, a soft combination that intoxicated Beca's lungs and made her want more. Her mouth began to move with more purpose and her tongue decided to make use of itself, mildly licking and sucking on Chloe's sensitive skin.

The redhead felt her heart beginning to beat faster and the pace of her breathing was starting to feel irregular. Just the slightest movements of Beca's mouth against her made her insides burn with desire and Chloe found her self involuntarily moaning when the track star glided her tongue upward to tease her just below her jawline.

Beca groaned a little as the knotting in her stomach tightened and the pounding of her heart began to increase. She didn't know how Chloe had this kind of affect on her, but at this point she didn't really care. As she continued to lovingly nip at Chloe's neck, Beca began to slowly slip her hand under the cheerleader's sweater, stopping when Chloe flinched at the sudden cold sensation against her warm skin.

"Sorry," Beca quickly apologized, removing her hand, but finding it pleasantly halted by Chloe.

"N-No, it's okay." She guided her hand back up to the top of her abdomen, "Keep it there." Chloe turned her head to face the track star and tilted her chin up to passionately kiss her. Beca internally smiled at the permission and caressed her smooth skin as their tongues continued to swipe and lick against each other.

As their kissing intensified, Beca and Chloe found themselves naturally turning to their sides so they could fully face each other. The new position was much more comfortable and allowed their hands to roam free. Chloe slipped her way into Beca's hair, gripping harshly when the track star began using both of her hands to caress her way around the cheerleader's abs and hips.

The cool night air no longer had any affect on the girls as their shared body heat rapidly increased with every enticing action. Their kisses grew impatient as they eagerly tugged on each other, wanting to feel more of each other, even though there was no way they could possibly get any closer.

Chloe whimpered against Beca's lips as the pooling pressure between her legs was quickly growing to an unbearable level. She knew what she needed, but there was no way she was going to pressure Beca into anything she didn't want to do. She remembered their time in the car and how Beca seemed okay with everything that had happened then, so to help relieve some of the tension, Chloe gradually slid her thigh between Beca's and glided one of her hands down the brunette's back to pull her closer.

Beca gasped when she felt the closeness of their cores and found herself eagerly rolling her hips against her. She couldn't control the way her body began reacting on its own and she had no idea what she was doing, but _God_ did it feel good. The way Chloe's thigh pressed against her only made her want more. She followed the redhead's actions and removed her hands from under her sweater to move them down Chloe's backside and used her grip to press them impossibly closer.

Chloe placed her forehead on Beca's and released a breathy moan, "Mmh, Becs." The track star ground her hips into her again and Chloe bit down hard on her bottom lip, "God, Beca." Her quiet moans urged the brunette on and the track star found her mind getting dangerously clouded as she began losing herself in the heat.

"Chloe..." Was all Beca could breathe out, before Chloe recaptured her lips and Beca began slipping her left hand back up and under the cheerleader's sweater. She hesitated momentarily before reaching the destination she was searching for, but then remembered Chloe saying she would stop her if she didn't like something. So with that, Beca completely swallowed her fears and just went for it.

Chloe whimpered when she felt Beca's lean fingers gently wrapping around her right breast. She arched into her touch and briefly separated their lips to breath out a, "Go 'head, Becs." She moaned when the track star began kneading softly, driving Chloe wild, and the redhead brought their lips back together, hungrily kissing her. It took all the strength she had to hold herself back so far, but the incessant throbbing in her lower region made it difficult for Chloe to repress her urges any longer.

She needed more.

She wanted to to take things further, but she really didn't want to startle Beca or make her feel uncomfortable. Chloe determined that the best way for her to do this was to take it slow and be very careful about her next move.

As their bodies continued to writhe and move against each other, Chloe cautiously began sliding her hand from Beca's backside to the front of her hips. She moved slowly, but made sure to press down enough to make Beca aware of what she was trying to do. She was unaware, but her plan was definitely working.

Beca could feel Chloe's hand inching closer to her center as they kissed. She could feel the way her body was desperately asking for more as the pleasure rapidly grew within her. But although Beca really, **really** , wanted Chloe to do it, the brunette's most sensitive insecurity wouldn't stop poking and gnawing at the back her mind. And much as she really didn't want to, Beca knew she had to stop.

Beca reluctantly broke away from her lips just as the end of her palm grazed the top op her pant's zipper.

"Wait, Chloe, wait."

The cheerleader immediately stopped and quickly removed her hand, feeling guilty and shameful for letting herself get carried away.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. I didn't mean to pressure you or anything, I just–"

Beca placed her thumb on the other girl's lips, silencing her.

"No, Chloe, it's okay. I didn't stop you because I didn't want to." Her words instantly made the redhead feel better, but if that wasn't the problem then, what was?

"Oh..." Chloe took a moment to breathe so her body to come down from it's high of mixed emotions, then lifted her eyes to gaze back into Beca's. "So, what happened? Did I do something wrong?"

The track star convincingly shook her head, "No it's not that. You were prefect, it's just that I–" Beca shut her eyes.

This was harder than she thought it was going to be.

"It's just that–"

Beca had to get this out. She **had** to tell Chloe. But why was it so freaking hard?

"I can't, I mean, I don't," Beca huffed, fighting herself to just get the words out, but keeping her eyes shut knowing she wouldn't be able to finish if she stared at the redhead's enchanting eyes. "I-I'm, uh–"

It was now, or never.

Beca gulped, "I'm... a virgin."

There were seconds of silence that worried the brunette, so she finally reopened her eyes in panic, expecting to find frightened ones staring back, but delightfully surprised to find gentle and loving ones instead.

"Oh, Beca." The cheerleader comfortingly said, gently tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and bringing her hand back down to rest on the track star's cheek. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

The brunette shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I just, didn't know how." Chloe softly ran her thumb back and forth across Beca's cheek, but the track star looked at her, worriedly. "You're not mad about this, are you?"

Chloe stopped, "What? Oh my gosh, no, Beca. Not at all." She started caressing her cheek again, "I'm glad that you told me." Beca still seemed unsure, so Chloe leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Look, Becs, we don't have to rush into anything you're not ready for. Okay? I'm totally fine with taking things slow," she smiled.

And it wasn't one of those fake smiles that someone forces because their just trying to do the right thing; no. This was genuine and it definitely helped put Beca's insecure thoughts to a rest.

She nodded, "Okay." And a small smile tugged on her lips, "Thanks, Chloe."

The redhead shook her head, "You don't have to thank me for that." She took the hand that had been tracing small circles on the track star's face and brought it down to weave their fingers together. "Now what do you say we spend the rest of our time looking at the stars, hm?"

Beca's smile grew into a relieved grin, "Sounds good to me."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Aww, they are so freaking cute. I swear their fluffiness just writes itself and I'm always surprised to see where they end up.**

 **Fun Fact: "Top of the World" is an actual place my friends and I visit and we do the exact same things Chloe said her friends do. xD**

 **Now I just have to find myself a Chloe Beale to make the rest of this chapter real too. ;)**


	18. Not What It Looks Like

**Author's 1st Note: I honestly can't believe it has taken me this long to update. I am so terribly sorry! I don't even know how to apologize enough.**

 **Thank you guys so much for sticking with me. It really means a lot.**

 **Hope you guys are ready for what's to come...**

* * *

As the week progressed, Beca and Chloe continued to secretly enjoy being each other's new girlfriends. They spent every early morning together, running on the track, then bravely facing each other in the close proximities of the shower room. Chloe eased up on her usual teasing, which allowed Beca to gradually grow more and more comfortable with her.

And the redhead was truly surprised when Friday morning came around and Beca didn't even bother covering herself up when she entered her shower stall. Chloe wasn't sure if she did it on purpose, as if trying to let her know that she was okay with it, but either way, Chloe definitely didn't waste the given opportunity and gladly marveled at the track star's lean and athletic figure.

Cooking class was always fun. The secret couple enjoyed learning and making food together, trying their best to remain low key, but unaware of a pair of familiar, Australian eyes capturing their every slip up. Hey, it wasn't Chloe's fault that Beca looked unbelievably adorable with flour accidentally wiped on her nose.

And it certainly wasn't her fault that the very sight sparked an urge for her to kiss the that very spot.

Practices grew to be a bit tricky. On the days where both the track team and the cheerleading squad shared the field, Beca and Chloe found it difficult to resist staring at one another, admiring the way the other looked while working out.

And things were going fine that Friday afternoon. Beca and Chloe had already planned ahead of time to go to Billy's together, so when practice finally ended for the track star, Beca went straight to the locker room and eagerly started to collect her things.

"Hey, Beca."

The track star slammed the locker door shut. "Stacie!" She yelped, gripping her chest, startled. "Jesus, dude. What the hell are you doing here?"

Stacie giggled, the tip of her tongue ensnared between her teeth. "Well, you never texted me back this week."

This was true. Beca had received multiple texts from the lengthy cheerleader throughout the week, and Beca had to give the girl props on her persistence. But every text was reacted to in the same way; a scrunched up nose and a quick swipe out of the texting app.

It's not that Beca was trying to be rude or anything, but rejection was not going to be easy with this girl. Stacie seemed pretty smart, add that to her high status and obvious good looks, and Beca knew she was going to need a much better excuse than, _"I'm just not interested,"_ to divert her away.

"Yeah, uh, sorry about that, I just–" Beca reopened her locker and worked on pulling her duffle bag out, mostly to avoid eye contact with the cheerleader, "I've been busy."

Stacie shrugged with a slightly pouted lip, "That's okay."

Beca finally got her bag out and closed her locker, taken off guard when she was met with half lidded eyes and a sly grin _really_ close to her face. What was it with cheerleaders and their total disregard for personal space boundaries?

"So it's Friday," Stacie started, her flirtatious tone earning an involuntary gulp from the smaller brunette, "and I was wondering if you would like to go to Billy's with me tonight?"

Beca widened her eyes.

 _Shit._

"Uhh..." What was she suppose to say? Should she lie? No, that probably wouldn't work. What if Stacie went to Billy's anyway and found her there with Chloe? That would make them look even more suspicious.

 _Just be honest!_

"Actually," Beca tweaked one side of her face as she rubbed the back of her neck, desperately hoping a blush wasn't appearing on her cheeks, "I was kind of already going with Chloe." Stacie quirked a curious eyebrow at this and Beca quickly elaborated, "Just as friends!"

It didn't help the track star's anxiety when the taller girl decided to simply smirk and say, "I wasn't assuming any different."

This girl was so playing with her, and Beca could feel her throat getting thicker, "Right." She breathed a nervous chuckle and shifted her eyes around as she nodded.

"Well that's alright. Chloe's one of my best friends." Stacie's lips curved into a crooked, and somewhat intimidating, grin. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I tagged along."

 _Fuck._

* * *

 _"_ _She's_ ** _what?!"_** Chloe shouted, causing Beca to immediately pull the phone away from her ear.

"Jeez, Chlo." The track star muttered, slowly bringing the speaker back to her ear, "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't what to do! I thought she would back off when I told her I was already going with you."

There was a second of silence and Beca could just imagine the redhead dropping her head back in annoyance. _"Ugh...This is_ ** _so_** _not going to be fun."_

"I know..." Beca looked down, "I'm sorry."

Chloe sighed on the other end, _"It's fine, Becs. It's not your fault. For as long as I've known Stacie she's always gone after what she's wanted. I just–"_ And she shrugged, even though she knew Beca couldn't see it, " _I just wish she didn't want you."_

Her saddened tone tugged at Beca's heart and the track star was starting to notice how many complicated events were slowly piling on top of each other, reminding her just how unfortunate maintaining a secret can be.

"I know, Chlo. Don't worry, we'll figure out a way fix this." Beca had to be honest with herself, she wasn't one hundred percent certain about that, but she had to hope. "In the mean time, we're gonna have to just try our best to deal with it. Okay?"

 _"_ _Yeah."_ Chloe nodded, _"Yeah, okay."_

* * *

They pulled up to the restaurant just as Stacie had texted Beca that she already had a table.

The track star sighed, "She's here." Chloe turned off the car and sat in silence until she shook her head with a chuckle that confused the brunette next to her. "What's so funny?" Beca asked.

Chloe continued to shake her head, "I just never thought I would ever have to worry about my best friend hitting on my secret girlfriend."

And granted the situation wasn't really "funny," but Beca couldn't help but release a small chuckle as well. "Yeah, not your usual high school drama, is it?"

Chloe laughed, "No, not really." After a few more moments of hesitation, since neither of them were really looking forward to the challenge awaiting them inside, Chloe looked over at Beca. "You ready?"

The track star shook her head, "Nope," and she was glad her purposeful antic made the redhead smile.

"Come on, weirdo." They exited the car and approached the busy restaurant, releasing one last anxious sigh before reluctantly stepping inside and kickstarting the acting skills they were going to need for the rest of the evening.

Stacie was quick to spot the couple and she waved them to her table.

 _Please, God help me,_ Chloe thought, bitting the inside of her cheek as she and Beca approached her co-captain.

"Hey guys!" Stacie happily greeted, smiling at Chloe first, then shifting her eyes to shamelessly rake over Beca's attire. "Ooh, looking good in that plaid, Beca." She winked then looked back at Chloe, briefly bringing her shoulder up to meet the side of her head in a "cutesy" manner, "Doesn't she, Chlo?"

The redhead smiled, "Yeah," and spoke in the most innocent voice she could manage, "You look nice."

This was definitely going to be an interesting evening.

"Heh," Beca nervously breathed, appreciating the compliment, but still adjusting to Stacie's incessant flirty towards her, "thanks guys." She started stepping into the opposite booth, but stopped when,

"Wait," Stacie slid her fingers around Beca's wrist and softly tugged, "I want you to sit next to me."

The track star quickly glanced at Chloe who was doing extremely well with her I'm-totally-not-jealous-that-my-best-friend-is-hitting-on-my-secret-girlfriend act, and the redhead just shrugged with a smile.

"Okay..." Beca warily squeezed passed Chloe and slid in next to the other cheerleader, trying her best to ignore the playful grin she was evidently expressing. Beca had a growing, strange itch at the back of her mind that sparked ever since Stacie first came up to her. The way she would act with her had always been flirty, that never changed. But Beca was starting to notice a slight difference in her demeanor whenever Chloe would show up. It was almost as if Stacie's actions and choice of words were deliberate and some how, directed towards Chloe?

Once settled, the three of them sat in an uncomfortable silence, their eyes awkwardly shifting amongst each other and their menus until Stacie eventually broke the ice.

"Sorry for hijacking your date, Chlo."

The redhead peered up from her menu, "What?" Stacie was grinning again, her eyebrows raised, almost challenging her, and for the slightest second Chloe thought they had been busted. But ultimately, she knew there was no way they could have been, so Chloe concluded she was just joking.

"Oh," Chloe chuckled, "don't worry about it." She smiled, secretly hating the false veneer she had to continue to maintain, "I'm glad you joined us."

 _Just kidding, Stace. You can leave._

"Oh, good." Stacie smiled back, then turned to Beca, "Are you glad I came too?" She asked, slightly nudging the track star.

Beca gave her a non-convincing smile, "Sure," but surprisingly made it sound authentic.

They scanned the menus in another uncomfortable silence, but this time it was filled with many opinionated thoughts that could have easily start a war if they were audible. Beca tried to keep her focus on the entree choices, instead of the way Stacie's thigh was slowly creeping up next to hers. It was hard enough to fake that she was totally okay with Stacie's intrusion on hers and Chloe's secret date, but now Beca also had to keep her guard up for anymore unwanted physical contact.

"See anything you like?" Beca flinched when she felt Stacie's breath tickle against the side of her neck.

"U-Uh, yeah. I think." She smiled shyly and pointed to a picture on the menu, "Bacon Cheeseburger."

"Yum!" Stacie delighted, shifting her focus to her co-captain, "Do you see anything good, Chloe?"

The redhead lifted her eyes from the menu, glancing at Beca before looking back at Stacie, "Not particularly."

"Hello, girls. Are you ready to order?" The smiling waitress cheerfully greeted the table, pen and pad in hand and completely oblivious to the provoking tension floating freely around in their atmosphere.

"I know I am." Stacie led the ordering while Beca took a moment to share a communicative glance with Chloe. Her eyes were clear of her discomfort for the entire situation, and regardless of Chloe's reciprocated displeasure, the redhead smiled softly, encouraging Beca that they could get through this, together.

After taking turns ordering their food, Stacie grabbed her soda, taking a sip through the straw before sparking a new conversation.

"So, Beca," She placed an elbow on the table and rested her cheek against her hand, "how's track been going for you?" Her flirtatious tone was still present– and Beca was beginning to wonder if maybe that was just how she naturally spoke– but her thigh had finally moved back to a much more comfortable distance, so maybe she was just trying to maintain a normal conversation for once.

Beca shrugged, "Pretty good, I guess. We've got our first track meet next Friday."

This caught Chloe's attention, "Wait, what?"

"Ooh!" Stacie grinned, "That's cool."

"I didn't know that."

Beca looked over at Chloe, whose face had fallen to a small, but noticeable, contused frown, and it was then that the track star fully realized what she had just let slip as if it were nothing important. But it was, and Chloe was right, Beca hadn't told her about her first, upcoming track meet. It wasn't intentional but Beca still brought it up without telling Chloe first and her mind scurried to figure out the right things to say that would hopefully return Chloe's breath taking smile back to her face; while also maintaining their secret.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, I uh, I was gonna tell you tonight, but–" She turned her head to Stacie, letting her eyes quickly scan over the heeding girl with disappointment that only Chloe could recognize, and softly smiled apologetically, "She kind of distracted me."

And although Chloe still felt a little let down, she had to accept that it really wasn't Beca's fault. She opened her mouth to speak, but before any sound could come out, Stacie couldn't resist jumping in.

"So I distract you, huh?" She placed her hands on her knees as she leaned in closer to Beca's face with hooded eyes and a coy grin curving on her lips. She didn't stop until the tip of her nose hovered over Beca's left cheek and Chloe's hands subconsciously balled into jealous fists under the table.

"Um..." Beca leaned away, far enough so she could face the teasing cheerleader without the risk of having her cheek– or any other part of her face– accidentally brush up against her.

"It's okay, Beca. I know you secretly check me out during practices."

 _Say what?_

"What?" Chloe's eyes snapped towards Beca, who gaped with her brow furrowed in confusion. Her gazed darted between the flirtatious cheerleader next to her, who was seriously mistaken, and Chloe, who's beaming, wide eyes sent an unpleasant chill down Beca's spine.

The track star quickly shook her head, "No, I-I don't." She looked at Stacie, "I don't check you out, dude." And she shook her head again, panicking as Chloe's skeptical gaze continued to physically burn her flesh. "Like, seriously."

Stacie giggled, "Oh, come on, Beca. It's okay to admit it." She gently dragged her hand down Beca's left arm, letting her fingertips leave involuntary goosebumps on the brunette's skin, but Beca was quick to respond this time and flinched away. She looked back over at Chloe with worried eyes and was greeted with dismay.

 _This can't be happening..._

Beca brought her hands up in apologetic defense as she hurried to correct this false information, "No, Chlo, I don't do that. I swear."

Stacie quirked a curious eyebrow at this and sat back, "Why are you defending yourself to her?"

 _Whoops._

Beca peeked at Chloe through the corner of her eye in search of any kind of back-up, but was only met with a silent, gaping redhead. Was she mad? Was she stunned? Beca couldn't tell and she didn't have the time to ponder it. She **had** to fix her slip-up.

Now.

"I-I'm not, I was just–"

"Alright, who ordered the bacon cheeseburger?" The sound of the waitress's voice sliced through the growing tension and Beca was more than thankful her perfect timing. She hoped the cheerleaders would be distracted enough with the arrival of their food that once they started eating, she could quickly change the subject and hopefully avoid bringing it back up the rest of the evening.

Beca briefly raised her hand, "That's me." The waitress smiled and placed her food in front of her. The track star's stomach jumped with joy at the sight of her delicious food, but the feeling wasn't good enough to mask the uncomfortable anxiety that had only grown from the moment they sat down.

Once the three of them received their food, Beca didn't hesitate to kickoff a new conversation. Hopefully it would be one that wouldn't end with Stacie thinking she checks her out, in _any_ way. Because the truth is, Chloe was the only cheerleader Beca had **ever** checked out in her entire life. She always assumed cheerleaders were superficial and honestly, some what "bitchy." But just like every other expectation Beca had ever had when it came to people she met in her life, Chloe always managed to prove her wrong.

"So, uh, Chlo." Beca nonchalantly squeezed some ketchup into her basket, "Did we have any homework for Cooking? I wasn't really paying attention."

Chloe smiled, but her slightly narrowed eyes suggested she knew exactly what Beca was doing, "We never have homework in Cooking, silly." Her tone was almost too sweet, to the point Beca thought she was going to gain a cavity just by listening to it.

"Oh," she nervously popped a fry into her mouth, "yeah, you're right. My bad." She ducked her head down to hide the embarrassing blush that was creeping on her face and took a big bite out of her burger– hoping the lack of room in her mouth would keep her from speaking any further.

"Oh yeah," Stacie cut in, "how is Cooking class? Is it fun?" The question was directed to the both of them, but since Chloe basically ignored it by avoiding eye contact and digging into her burger instead, Beca took the initiative to answer.

"Yeah, it's alright." She said, lifting her cup to her mouth to take a sip. "A lot better than I thought it was gonna be."

"Is that because Chloe's your partner?" Beca choked at her inquiry, uncontrollably coughing and spitting out soda with every expel of air. Chloe also responded shockingly, letting her burger slip out of her grasp, but luckily her reaction went unnoticed– thanks to Beca's inflated eruption.

"W-What?" Beca croaked, clearing her throat, which was now a bit horse from the incessant hacking. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, panting with flushed cheeks, by thankful the coughing subsided.

Stacie innocently shrugged, almost undisturbed by Beca's dramatic outburst. "I don't know." She smiled at the ginger, "I'd love to be partnered with her. She's awesome."

Chloe was touched by her best friend's comment and was slightly beginning to think that maybe her unexpected intrusion wasn't a complete disaster. "Aww, thanks, Stace." However, that small moment of forgiveness didn't last very long when the taller girl then turned to face Beca and twirled one of her brown locks around her finger.

"I bet you look hella cute in your little chef outfit."

Beca grimaced and carefully untangled the cheerleader's hand from her hair, though Stacie seemed unfazed by the rejecting gesture. "We don't wear chef outfits. We only have aprons."

"Ooh," Stacie leaned back in, "even cuter."

Okay, that was it. Beca couldn't handle the discomfort any longer. It was bad enough she really wasn't enjoying Stacie's constant flirting, but Chloe's disapproving eyes from across the table certainly didn't help console the guilty feeling lingering in the pit of Beca's stomach either. She decided it was finally time for her to draw the line.

"Stace," she said, gently pushing the girl away, "look, I'm not sure if this is how you just are, or if you're just _that_ into me, or whatever, but you're actually making me really uncomfortable. Can you please stop?" Beca was genuinely proud of herself. She was never really forward or outspoken about how she really felt during certain situations. Maybe seeing Chloe upset was the extra "push" she needed to actually get the words out.

Stacie pouted, but thankfully sat back, "Aww, I'm sorry, Beca. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

 _Could've fooled me,_ Chloe thought, appreciating the amount of distance Stacie finally put between them, but still finding it hard to control her very jealous, and okay maybe a _little_ tiny bit immature, thoughts.

Why wouldn't they just go away?

Beca thanked the cheerleader for finally respecting her boundaries and for the rest of the meal, all three girls actually had a pretty decent time. Stacie lightened up on the conversation topics and managed to keep them away from how hot Beca apparently looked in _anything._ Chloe kept her hidden green monster of jealousy tamed for the most part; only having it briefly appear again when Stacie shifted to sit closer to Beca, but she ultimately still kept a reasonable distance between them, so the jealousy didn't burn _too_ harshly on Chloe's skin.

* * *

As the evening appeared to be coming to it's natural end, Stacie offered to buy a dessert they could all share, but Beca and Chloe had both had enough of the complicated and rousing night, and they were honestly looking forward to spending the little bit of time they had left with to be out with just one another. With a shared consummated glance, Beca and Chloe declined Stacie's offer and the three of them proceeded to pay for their meals.

Beca was going to pay for hers, but before she could pull her wallet out of it's usual place in her pocket, Stacie dropped a twenty-dollar bill onto her receipt.

Beca furrowed her brow, "What are you doing?" Chloe was taking out her debit card when the brunette's question caught her attention and she looked up to see what was going on.

Stacie shrugged innocently, "What?" She asked, placing another twenty-dollar bill over her own receipt.

"You don't have to pay for her." It was an unintended and unrefined reaction that Chloe immediately regretted when she was met with sets of surprised green and grey-blue eyes starring at her, waiting for an explanation. She hadn't meant for it to sound so, harsh _._ "Uh, I-I mean," her tone was quick to switch to a more innocuous one, "I'm sure Beca can pay for herself." With a casual smile and a wave of her hand, she prayed that the gesture, combined with her elevated voice, would be enough to cover up her initial crudeness.

Beca narrowed her eyes at the redhead, but Stacie seemed to have bought it. "No, it's okay." She then grinned at Beca, "I don't mind."

 _That makes one of us,_ Chloe bit back, alternatively smiling and continuing to pay for her meal, secretly fighting the urge to glare at her best friend.

They eventually made their way out of the booth and Chloe reluctantly stayed behind, eyeing the way Stacie was purposely walking **really** close to Beca and feeling the _very_ territorial side of her begging to shove it's way between them.

But it was almost over. Surely she could last the five more minutes it would take for them to walk out the front door and finally leave in their separate cars.

Yeah. Chloe could do this.

She watched then, as Stacie opened the door for the smaller brunette and placed her hand a little _too_ low for Chloe's preference– and okay, maybe she **did** need a brief moment to herself.

"Wait." Beca and Stacie turned simultaneously to face her, "I, um, I just need to use the bathroom really quick."

"You okay?" Beca asked, concerned, but her question went unanswered when Stacie decided to jump in– which Beca was starting to notice seemed to be a habit of hers.

"Okay." Stacie smiled, "We'll wait for you outside."

Chloe briefly nodded in agreement and made her way to the bathroom. She walked into the empty facility and gripped onto the edges of one of the sinks. She released an exhausted sigh and lifted her gaze to look at herself in the mirror, shaking her head with a light chuckle.

This was so weird. Chloe wasn't usually the jealous type. Tom wasn't necessarily a flirt, so to speak, but there were times he was maybe a little too friendly with some of his girl friends. However, that never seemed to really bother Chloe. And when she thought about it, she had never felt "possessive" over **anyone** in her previous relationships.

But then there was Beca.

Chloe still didn't understand what it was about the mysterious little brunette that made her so protective– and alright, maybe a _little_ possessive of her. But she honesty couldn't help it! And even though their relationship was a secret, seeing the way Stacie was blatantly flirting with her and not being able to do anything about it, just really... _irked_. It was like an incessant itch that urged to be scratched, but Chloe had her hands tied, and no matter how much she ached to sooth that internal burn, Chloe had to just suck it up and deal with it.

And sure, as she spent a few more minutes in the bathroom just starring at her reflection and simply, thinking, Chloe could hear the wary part of her brain telling her to get her butt outside so she could prevent anymore unwanted contact between her secret girlfriend and her co-captain.

But ultimately, despite her persistent jealousy, Chloe trusted Beca. She knew in her heart that what they had was special and she knew Beca would never intentionally hurt her. The reminder alone was enough to bring a smile back to her face.

* * *

Meanwhile, the second Chloe entered the bathroom, Beca immediately felt even more uneasy around the much taller brunette; although she didn't think that could be possible. Not that Chloe did much to really help her during their meal, but still, having her presence made Beca feel a lot, safer?

But now here she was, awkwardly standing next to the cheerleader with her hands shoved in her pockets and her feet anxiously swaying from side-to-side. She didn't know what to say and quite frankly she was afraid to start another conversation with Stacie; knowing how easy it was for it to solely focus on Beca. She also knew the silence between them wasn't going to last, but she was thankful for the short amount of time it did before Stacie began speaking again.

"I had fun tonight." She said, smiling with her jade eyes that Beca had to be fair were really pretty, but they could **never** compare to Chloe's enchanting baby blues. Maybe Beca was just bias.

"Yeah?" She casually nodded, looking away to focus on the cars in the parking lot, "That's good."

"Mhmm." Stacie hummed, taking a slight step closer to Beca without the track star noticing, "Did you?"

 _Not particularly,_ "Yeah, it was cool." Beca tapped her feet to a nonspecific rhythm and was secretly counting the seconds it was taking Chloe to return. And although her eyes still remained on the different vehicles in front of her, Beca could still feel Stacie moving closer to her, and the awareness triggered her to react by taking a small step to the right as she looked at her curiously.

"You know, Beca." She didn't stop her advancing as she spoke and Beca nervously swallowed as she matched the girl's persistent steps with backwards steps of her own. "I really like you."

Beca feared the way her hooded eyes were gazing at her and she just knew she had to keep moving backwards. She had to keep a safe distance between her and the much taller, smirking predator. "Uh, Stace–"

"And now that Chloe's not here..." Beca's eyes widened when Stacie flicked her eyes down to her lips and Beca panicked when she felt the hard surface of a brick wall suddenly colliding with her back. She snapped her head around to face the obstacle, unaware of the trap she had just setup for herself when Stacie took the opportunity to bring her hands up and keep the distressed brunette in place.

 _Oh fuck._

Beca flinched at the action and brought her hands up, feeling like they were her last resort in protecting herself against Stacie. But dismally, the cheerleader pursued.

"No, wait. Please don't, Stacie." Her pleas went unacknowledged and she squirmed around, desperately looking for a way out as the other girl slowly closed in on her. "Seriously, please, I don't wanna–"

* * *

Chloe exited the bathroom with a new found calmness and was looking forward to spending the rest of the evening with Beca. She pulled out her phone to check the time as she walked, happy to see that they still had about two and half hours until Beca's curfew. Things were feeling much better now. She put the phone back in her purse and smiled as she pushed through the front door.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Fuucckkkk...**


	19. A Tempting Invitation

**Author's 1st Note: I am a horrible human being for keeping you guys waiting this long. AND for leaving you guys with an ending like last chapter's. *sighs and places hand on heart* I'm so cruel...**

 **But hey! Here's the update! Yayy! xD**

 **Hope you guys enjoy. :)**

* * *

Chloe found herself stopped in time as her jaw dropped and her eyes welled with tears as they painfully adjusted to the disconcerting sight before her. What the _hell_ was going on? Was this actually happening? Was Beca actually **kissing** Stacie?

No...No, this couldn't be real. Beca would never do that to her. She couldn't...

But yet here Chloe found herself, frozen in place, unable to process everything fast enough, and questioning the credibility of her very own eyes.

She wasn't exactly sure how many seconds had passed, but Chloe's world began rotating again when Beca suddenly shoved the taller girl off of her, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"Dude! What the fuck did I just say?!"

"Beca..."

Both brunettes instantly responded to Chloe's unexpected, broken voice, quickly turning their heads to face her, and now it was Beca's turn to have her entire world come crashing down upon her.

"Oh my God, Chloe..." Beca immediately approached the redhead, her hands already up in defense, and she felt somewhat relieved when Chloe didn't step away from her. "Listen, Chlo, I **swear** this is not what it looks like! I'm so sorry, I didn't–" She found her eyes beginning to water as she rambled on about Stacie's advances, and she gritted her teeth when the very culprit decided it was the perfect time to ask,

"What are you apologizing to her for?" But before Beca spun around to confront the taller girl, she starred deeply into Chloe's glossy eyes.

"I'm sorry, Chlo. I can't do this anymore." The redhead, still somewhat dazed about everything, was now even more distressed at the thought of Beca breaking up with her so soon. But before she could question what the track star meant by that, Beca was already facing Stacie.

"Look, Stace. Chloe and I..." she sighed, looking back at the distressed redhead one last time, before finally telling the truth. "We've been seeing each other for a while now. Like, as more than just friends. She's, uh–" And despite the confusing and overall cruddy situation, Beca still found a small smile appearing at the thought of her next words. "She's my girlfriend."

A weird and puzzling silence then fell amongst them, when Stacie just stood there. She didn't seem surprised, in fact, she looked as if she had been waiting for this confession. Her arms were crossed and she shifted her eyes between them with a confidently raised brow. And she almost also looked kind of, mad? What the hell would she have to be mad about?

Beca intended on questioning her interesting reaction, but Stacie answered her inquiry before she even got the chance to ask.

"I know."

 _Wait, what?_

Beca and Chloe both responded simultaneously; snapping their heads to look at each other with furrowed brows, then looking back at Stacie with their jaws slightly opened. They wanted to speak, but found themselves at a loss for words. Instead, they squinted their eyes at the other cheerleader, hoping the gesture was enough to express their search for an explanation.

"You guys really aren't as subtle as you think you are." She said, matter of factly, "It started as a suspicion, but all it took was watching you two for more than a minute to see how obvious it was that there was something going on between you."

Her explanatory remark did nothing to release the girls from their befuddled state, in fact, she kind of made it worse; if that was even possible. Luckily the situation snapped back into place for Beca, before it did Chloe, and the track star blinked her eyes back to reality.

"Wait, so if you knew this, then why the hell did you kiss me?"

Stacie shrugged, "It was the last thing I could think of to get you guys to finally come out with the truth." She then looked at Chloe, shifting from her confident, almost cocky, attitude, to one that appeared to be more, hurt. "Why didn't you tell me about this? Does Aubrey know?"

Her question finally brought Chloe back from her reeling thoughts and the redhead looked down, finding it a little difficult to make eye contact with her best friend.

"I couldn't." She started, looking at Beca. "We made a promise to each other that we wouldn't tell anyone."

"Not even me and Aubrey?" Stacie questioned, uncrossing her arms. "Chloe, we're your best friends." The redhead still wouldn't make eye contact with her, so she continued after a short pause. "Or at least I thought we were."

The upsetting comment sparked the courage Chloe needed to finally look at her co-captain, "No, Stacie! You guys are! It's just–" She shook her head, struggling to find the right words and glanced at Beca. "Things are complicated." It was evident that Stacie was still upset about the lack of trust Chloe seemed to have with her, so the redhead softened her voice, expressing her sincerity. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys."

Beca remained quiet during the entire exchange, mostly because this was a conflict between two best friends and she knew it wasn't really her place to speak– even though she _did_ play a major role in the whole ordeal.

Stacie eventually stepped forward and pulled her best friend into a hug. The air was still fairly awkward and tense between the three girls, but the small gesture of forgiveness assisted in lifting their spirits even by the slightest bit. Beca certainly felt somewhat relieved, knowing Stacie's advances towards her were all just an act and also that Chloe knew what really happened.

"Chloe."

The redhead separated from her friend at the sound of her name and gazed at the lustrous steel eyes staring back at her.

"I am so, so sorry you had to see that. And I know Stacie already explained it, but I need you to know that I would never, **ever** , do something like that to you. Okay?" Beca felt her chest tightening with nerves when Chloe didn't show any kind of immediate response. However, the sudden feel of Chloe's fingers wrapping around the back of her neck shot a tingle down her spine, and before Beca could even process what was happening, Chloe was pulling her in for a sweet and loving kiss.

To say that Beca felt relieved would be a bit of an understatement. Because okay, yes, she definitely did feel relief knowing that Chloe didn't seem to hate or blame her for what had happened. But now Chloe was also gently moving her warm lips against Beca's, and just like any other time she kissed Chloe, Beca was finding herself at a loss for words.

Kissing Chloe was like leaving your body and floating away to another universe, while simultaneously being cemented in the moment, memorizing every detail. The way her soft lips cradled and caressed with affection and desire. The way her skin smelled like morning roses, but welcomely burned at the slightest touch. The way her silky red hair tangled in her lean fingers.

Kissing Chloe wasn't just a simple experience, no. Kissing Chloe was like going on a breathtaking adventure that you never wanted to return from.

A girly squeal brought the girls out of their spellbinding moment and they both looked at the taller cheerleader with quirked eyebrows.

"Sorry." Stacie grinned, keeping her hands in a prayer position over her lips, "Even though I knew this was going on, I can't help but get excited about finally seeing it in person."

Beca and Chloe both chuckled, "Thanks, Stace," said Chloe, separating from Beca's embrace and facing her best friend. "So, now that you know. Do you think you could not tell Aubrey, or anybody?" Stacie's smile slightly fell, so Chloe quickly added, "Just for now," she turned to glance at Beca, "until we're both ready to come out with it." Stacie still didn't budge. "Please?"

The taller brunette crossed her arms and after a few more painfully silent seconds, she sighed.

"Fine." Chloe smiled and Stacie brought a finger up, "But just for the record, I am not okay with keeping this a secret from Aubrey. This is all on you if it goes wrong." Chloe nodded in agreement and tugged her friend back into a second hug. Once they separated, Stacie briefly glanced at Beca before looking back at Chloe. "Alright, well I don't want to ruin anymore of your girls' night out, so I'm gonna head home."

"Okay." Chloe said, looking back at Beca and gesturing with her head so the younger girl would follow her. The three of them headed for their cars, but Chloe spoke up before they reached them, stopping them all in their tracks. "Oh, and Stace?"

The taller girl turned around with a smile, "Yeah?"

 ** _*SMACK*_**

"That's for kissing Beca."

Stacie held her stinging cheek as Chloe flashed a satisfied smile and reached back to interlock her fingers with the gaping track star behind her. She lead them to her car and entered the vehicle without another word. Beca took one last peek at Stacie before tentatively getting in the car as well, finding herself a little terrified of Chloe, but also somewhat– turned on?

Stacie was still stunned at her best friends actions. She couldn't believe Chloe just smacked her across the face like that. But as Stacie watched the redhead's car drive off, she lowered her hand from her cheek and shrugged.

"I deserve that."

* * *

The car ride was fairly awkward. Beca took interest in her nail polish, picking away at the thin black layers when Chloe continued to remain silent. It was a torturous kind of silence that lingered in the air and sank to the bottom of Beca's stomach. Was she still mad? Was her lack of communication her way of telling Beca that things weren't okay? The track star couldn't be sure, and the uncertainty is what scared her the most.

It wasn't until Chloe pulled up in Beca's driveway and shut off her car, that the redhead finally broke the thick tension.

"I can't believe I slapped her." Chloe quietly muttered, keeping her hands and eyes resting on the steering wheel.

Beca found her body easing at the sound of the ginger's voice and she couldn't help but snicker at the comment.

"Yeah, me neither." Another silence fell between them, but this time, Beca wasn't going to let it last as long as the others had. She brought her hand up and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, "Um, would it be weird if I sort of, thanked you for that?"

Chloe looked at her, the corner of her lip slightly curving up, "What?"

Beca casually shook her head, "I don't know. It's like..." She looked up, unconsciously using her hands in the process of figuring out how to put her thoughts into words. "Okay, I know she said she only did all of that stuff to get us to admit that we had a thing for each other, but still. I really didn't want her to kiss me and she did it anyway. And honestly," Beca shrugged, "I'm kind of still mad at her for that."

The track star wasn't one for crying in front of people, but the next comment triggered a sensitive nerve within her, and reluctantly, her eyes began to water.

"I hate that you had to see that, Chlo. I can't get that look on your face out of my head."

Although they hadn't said it to each other yet, it was in this moment that Chloe really believed that Beca Mitchell was in love with her. Of course she already knew that the girl had feelings for her and cared for her– that was obvious. And it wasn't that Chloe didn't believe it couldn't happen, but watching Beca get so emotional over the thought of hurting her, made Chloe's heart swell.

She reached forward and gently wrapped her arms around the smaller brunette, holding her close in a comforting embrace and softly running her thumb over the plaid material.

"Hey, Becs. It's okay."

Beca pushed herself away from Chloe, shaking her head, "No, it's not okay." She said, the anger in her voice becoming more apparent, "That was seriously fucked up, dude!"

And Chloe knew she was right. Because, yeah, what Stacie did _was_ seriously fucked up. But Chloe had known Stacie a lot longer than Beca had, and although her co-captain's decision on how to get them to admit their relationship probably wasn't the best, Chloe knew that Stacie meant well. Her intentions had been pure, just **_very_** poorly executed.

"I know, I know. You're right." Chloe agreed, trying to be as careful as possible when choosing her next words wisely. She didn't want to upset her girlfriend anymore than she already was, "But please don't be so hard on her. Stacie just..." Chloe broke eye contact, taking a moment to figure out the proper wording to describe her unique friend. "She thinks differently than we do. Whenever she's curious about something, instead of just straight up asking about it, Stacie likes to come up with elaborate plans that sometimes don't always work."

Beca snorted, "Like today's plan?"

Chloe slowly blinked her eyes as she nodded, "Yes," and smiled softly, "Just like today's plan." The track star breathed a short laugh in response, then dropped her eyes, prompting Chloe to continue the conversation and hopefully make the brunette feel better. "You know one time in middle school, Stacie thought she had totally bombed a science test. So the next day during lunch, she had me wait at the entrance of the hallway where her classroom was to distract her teacher while she and Aubrey hacked into his computer to find out her grade."

After taking a second to process the story, Beca looked back up; her brow deeply furrowed with confusion.

"Why didn't she just ask him about it?"

Chloe chuckled and shook her head, "I don't know." She shrugged, "That's Stacie. She always manages to come up with some complicated plan to find out a simple answer."

"Yeah, I'll say." Chloe watched the brunette shake her head in disbelief and was happy to see that it seemed more out of amusement. There was one last lone tear still glistening on her cheek, so Chloe reached forward and gently brushed the small droplet off of her skin, letting her hand linger in that spot until Beca turned her head to make eye contact with her again.

Chloe smiled softly, "So you have a track meet next Friday?"

It was a much appreciated change of subject and Beca sighed, sliding her hands down her thighs as she stretched her arms and finally relaxed, deciding that she didn't want the night to end on a sour note.

"Yeah..." Beca looked at her, "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you myself."

Chloe shook her head, "Nope. No more apologies tonight. It's fine, Becs." She reached up and ran her fingers through her brown locks, "I know now, and I couldn't be more excited for you." Mirroring Beca's smile, she dropped her hand to interlock their fingers together. "Are you excited?"

The track star nodded, toying with Chloe's fingers, "Definitely. But I don't know, I'm also kind of..." She shrugged, "Nervous, I guess?"

"Really?" Chloe asked, surprised to hear that her usually confident girlfriend was actually nervous about competing. "Why?"

"I don't know. I guess it's because this is the first time I run for Barden. I wanna prove myself to my new team. Plus, you know what else is gonna be weird?" Chloe shook her head, "My old school will be there."

The redhead's eyes slightly widened, "You're gonna be competing against your old friends?"

Beca slowly nodded, "Mhmm..."

"Damn." Chloe sat back, "That is weird."

"Tell me about it." Beca muttered, rolling her eyes. "But hey, the fun part will be getting to kick all their asses' in front of my old coach." She finished her whimsical statement with one of her signature smirks and Chloe couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, that'll be awes." Chloe then chewed on her bottom lip before she decided to add, "And, Becs?" The track star looked at her as Chloe reached forward to intertwine both of their hands together this time. "I know you said you were feeling a little nervous about it all, but honestly?" Chloe shrugged with a curved smile, "I really don't think you have anything to be worried about. You're amazing." She said, squeezing her hands to emphasize her point. "You're so talented, it's insane." Then she leaned forward until her lips were just ghosting over Beca's. "And I know you're going to do great."

Beca smiled and didn't hesitate to finish the cheerleader's journey, capturing her lips in a sweet and chaste kiss, and sighed when the blissful feeling that always came with kissing Chloe, suddenly washed over her.

Chloe eventually broke the kiss– a lot sooner than Beca would have preferred– but she smiled and made the brunette feel a lot better when she said,

"And I'm going to be right there in the stands cheering you on."

Beca grinned, "Yeah? You'll be there?"

Chloe giggled at her girlfriend's unbeknownst cuteness and playfully nudged her.

"Of course I'll be there."

The smile on Beca's face only grew in size, refusing to fade and instead, continuing to express Beca's pure felicity in knowing that Chloe was going to be there to support her. Not that she had completely doubted the idea, but Beca just wasn't use to this. It was a pleasant discovery, a feeling she had never known before, that filled her heart and caused it to swell to the point where the brunette felt like she couldn't breath.

"That–" Beca released a short, breathy chuckle, still mentally questioning what she could have ever done to deserve Chloe's affection, "really means a lot to me, Chlo." She looked up to meet her girlfriend's gaze, feeling those persistent butterflies fluttering in her stomach, and smiled. "Thank you."

Chloe released one of her hands from Beca's grip in favor of cupping her soft cheek and bringing her closer.

"Anytime, Becs." She grinned, eyeing the brunette's desirable lips, "Anytime." It didn't take much for Chloe to reattach their lips and the moment they came into contact, Chloe couldn't hold back what she had been wanting to do the entire night. Her tongue peeked out and trace Beca's bottom lip, earning a soft moan of approval from the brunette and was instantly granted entrance.

Chloe slid her hand to the back of Beca's neck, fisting a mess of brown tresses in her hand and pressing herself harder into the kiss; their tongues greeting each other with an equal amount of desperation. It was a little sloppy, sure. But they didn't care. Their mouths moved with purpose, desperately wanting to show one another just how much they were missed.

They continued their longed for make out session for what felt like an eternity; alternating between rushed and careless kisses, to soft and lazy ones that gradually increased as they reluctantly separated to come back to the real world.

Panting, with cheeks equally as flushed as Beca's, Chloe grinned, "I've been wanting to do that all day."

Beca mirrored her elated expression, "You and me both."

They sat in a comfortable silence when Chloe began to lazily stroke and play with Beca's hair. The track star just sat there, finding it impossible not to smile at how adorable Chloe looked; like a child who had discovered what hair was and just couldn't get enough of the way it moved through her fingers. The whole situation was disgustingly cute and Beca snickered to herself. She never thought she would ever be this way with anyone. So cheesy and romantic and actually liking it.

"Hey, what are you doing tomorrow night?"

The question snapped Beca out of her daze and she blinked back to reality.

"What?"

Chloe giggled, "I said, what are you doing tomorrow night?"

Beca only had to think for a second before shaking her head, "Nothing. Why?"

The redhead suddenly lit up, "Wanna have a sleepover?" She beamed, but Beca quirked an eyebrow.

"Isn't that like," she started, feeling her cheeks heating up at the thought, "really inappropriate?"

And Chloe honestly hadn't even thought about it _that_ way. She just really enjoyed having sleepovers with her friends and thought that one with Beca would be even more fun. But she noticed the way Beca was getting nervous about it and decided to have a little fun with her.

Chloe smirked and let her eyelids fall halfway as she leaned shamelessly closer to Beca's lips again; watching her gulp and knowing _exactly_ what kind of effect she was having on her younger girlfriend.

"Our parent's don't know that we're dating." She grinned, her breath tickling the track star's parted lips.

Beca's anxious and insecure side immediately started sounding it's alarms, flashing **"Danger!"** signs all throughout her mind and telling her to reply with, _"No, that sounds like a bad idea."_ But what she'd like to consider to be her "better"– and by better she totally means more confident and ballsy– side, was responding positively to the way Chloe's hand was casually caressing her knee.

And it was **that** side of Beca that directed her to reply with a slow, "That's...true," instead.

She couldn't make eye contact with the flirtatious cheerleader as she spoke, looking through the corners of her eyes since they were the only escape she had, considering the cheerleader was literally millimeters away from her face. And it really was impressive how Chloe always seemed to know just how to get Beca so flustered. It was like it came naturally to her.

And that was dangerous in itself.

"So..." Chloe hummed and eskimo kissed Beca's nose, "Do you want to?"

Beca's mind started battling with itself:

 _Don't do it, Mitchell!_

 ** _Yes, totally do it! You know you want to. ;)_**

 _N-No I don't!_

 ** _Yes, you do._**

 _Do not!_

"Yeah, okay."

 _Shit._

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Guess you lost that battle, Beca. ;)**


	20. The Beales

**Author's 1st Note: Woo! Managed to update faster than I thought I would. :D**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Knock.

That's all Beca had to do. Or maybe even ring the doorbell. Both would take the same amount of small effort to accomplish. And yet there Beca stood, frozen in front of the big white door with a duffle bag hooked over one shoulder and her bottom lip ensnared between her teeth.

This was it. There was no going back now. She told Chloe she would come and despite her nerves trying everything in their power to make her change her mind– from twisting her stomach into tight knots, to flooding her mind with scenarios that would most likely never even happen– Beca knew she was actually really looking forward to this. It was a chance for her and Chloe to spend some quality alone time, and if anything more came out of that, then...Beca's nerves were just going to have to suck it up.

After standing on the porch for an awkward amount of time, Beca eventually took a deep breath and finally let her hand come up to press a finger into the circular doorbell. She was startled by the sound of a fairly large dog suddenly barking at the melodic chime, then heard a familiar, _"I'll get it!"_ being shouted from behind the door.

Beca was greeted with sparkling eyes and a stunning grin that gratefully eased those brewing nerves inside of her.

"Hey! You're here!" Chloe beamed, earning a returned smile from the brunette. And yeah, okay. Beca was _definitely_ glad she decided to come.

 ** _Told you so. ;)_**

 _Oh, shut up..._

The track star chuckled, extending her arms out to her sides openly.

"I'm here."

A giant, yellow lab suddenly appeared from behind Chloe and hopped on his hind legs, excited to greet the tiny new stranger visiting his home.

Beca instantly jumped back, "Woah!" She yelped, bringing her hands up to hold onto the beast's enormous paws and struggled to keep her balance as he pursued to lick her face with affection.

"Charlie, no! Bad boy!" Chloe scolded, reaching forward to pull him down and was kind of surprised to hear the brunette giggling.

"It's cool, dude." Beca grinned, using the back of her hand to wipe some slobber off of her cheek. "I love dogs." She crouched down to pat Charlie's head, smiling and whispering friendly greetings to the animal, and Chloe couldn't help but find the moment simply adorable.

"Well in that case," Chloe smiled and gestured to her pet, "I'd like to properly introduce you to Charlie. My best friend since eighth grade."

Beca was focused on playing with his floppy ears, but still replied with, "I see." She leaned forward and placed her nose on his wet one, "So is it okay that I date your best friend?" And Chloe giggled at her cuteness, "I mean I already am, but like, I still need your approval, obviously." Charlie just wagged his tale and licked her cheek again. Beca laughed, wiping it off for the second time as she stood back up.

"I think he likes me."

Chloe suddenly gripped the front of Beca's grey t-shirt and pulled her in for an unexpected kiss.

"I know I do," she grinned when they separated, releasing her girlfriend and giggling at the stunned look on her face. "Come on," she said, quickly wrapping her hand around one of Beca's wrists' and pulling the smaller girl inside. "I want you to meet my family."

She called Charlie in and shut the front door, sliding her hand down to interlock their fingers together, then began guiding the track star through the house.

Beca happily let Chloe take the lead, looking around to observe her surroundings and smiling at how "homey" the house felt. It was decorated nicely with a few paintings, some inspirational quotes and cute pictures of the family. Beca looked forward and could see the opening of what appeared to be the kitchen growing nearer. But just before they reached the destination, Beca suddenly stopped in her tracks, pulling Chloe back with her.

"Oh my God," the brunette grinned, "Is that you?" Chloe looked over to match her gaze and gaped at the picture Beca was staring at.

"Oh my God, please don't look at that."

It was a charming little picture of the redhead sporting a toothy grin as she posed in a pink and purple dress, with pigtails and a bright pink Barbie backpack hanging off of her tiny shoulders that looked two sizes too big for her.

"You're so cuuutee," Beca teased, leaning forward to analyze the picture a little more and triggered a blush to creep across the cheerleader's cheeks.

Chloe brought her hands up to cover her face, "This is so embarrassing." She muttered, dropping her hands to look at the picture. "My mom took that on my first day of school." And she couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. "I was so excited, and I couldn't wait to show everyone my new backpack."

Beca snickered and peered over at her girlfriend with one of those signature smirks curving her lips.

"Barbie, huh?"

Chloe scoffed and crossed her arms, "What? Like your first grade backpack wasn't something childish?"

"Pfft, not a chance." Beca said confidently, mimicking Chloe's stance.

"Oh yeah?" The redhead played along, "What was it?"

Beca sniffed cockily and brought her hands up to pop the collar of her purple plaid as she said,

"G.I. Joe, baby."

Chloe rolled her eyes at that, but couldn't fight the smile that was spreading wider on her face.

"You're such a dork," she laughed, playfully shoving the track star.

Beca shrugged, "You love me." And she had only meant it in playful and innocent manner, but the way Chloe responded with a gentle smile and a low hum, that sounded like it had a much deeper meaning than it should have, twisted a knot in Beca's stomach and sparked a tightness in her chest.

"Alright," Chloe smiled, breaking the brunette's slight daze, "enough show and tell." She reconnected their hands and guided her the rest of the way into the kitchen, the delicious smell of a home cooked meal flooding one of Beca's senses.

"Hey, mom!" The redhead gleed as they entered the new room, "I want you to meet my friend, Beca."

A taller, older woman, that looked _a lot_ like Chloe, turned her head from the stove and smiled warmly when she noticed Beca.

"Hello," she said, wiping her hands on her half apron and approaching the smaller brunette, her hand extended. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Beca smiled back and shook her hand, "Likewise."

"I'm Claire. Chloe's told us so much about you."

The brunette looked at her girlfriend, "Uh-oh. All good things I hope." She grinned. There was that Beca Mitchell charm Chloe had fallen so hard for, and she was actually pretty impressed with how well the track star was handling meeting her mother for the first time.

Claire chuckled, "Of course." She said, then looked at her daughter. "Have the boys met her yet?"

Chloe shook her head, "No, not yet. I wanted her to meet you first."

Her mother smiled, "Alright, well after you introduce her go get yourselves cleaned up. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Okay." Chloe relinked their hands and pulled Beca along.

The brunette waved Mrs. Beale goodbye, "Smells great!" She grinned, as the younger redhead continued to lead her through the other side of the house. The place was fairly large, Beca had to admit. Definitely larger than hers. Hell, it even had a second floor; which was something Beca hadn't had in her own home since she was a kid.

The sound of a video game and competitive mockery could be heard growing closer as they approached the living room. Chloe stopped them at the opening and Beca could see the heads of two boys joking and commenting from the couch. Their hair was as distinct as Chloe's and her mother's, but the color was a few shades darker.

"Hey, guys." Chloe said, walking around them to stand in front of the tv, Beca following closely behind.

"Chloe!" One of the boys whined, and from the new angle, Beca could tell they were older and their faces were identical. She assumed they were twins.

Chloe just crossed her arms, "Can you just pause it for a sec?" She asked, then tugged Beca closer. "I wanna introduce you to someone."

The brunette felt a little bad about interrupting their game. Beca was a video gamer herself and she knew how irritated she got whenever her father would call her to do something while she played.

The other boy sighed and reluctantly hit 'pause'.

"Make it quick. We were just about to find Cortana."

Chloe furrowed her brow, clearly not knowing what they were talking about, but Beca knew instantly.

"Halo four?" She asked, an eyebrow quirked.

The ginger boy grinned, "Yeah, you play?"

Beca shrugged, "I mean, I could totally kick your ass if that's what you're asking." Her smirk was challenging and both boys raised their brows in surprise.

"Oh, is that so?" One of them asked, leaning forward and nodding towards the feisty brunette when he asked, "Who's your friend, Chlo?"

The redhead had watched the entire exchange with an impressed smile. Beca really knew how to handle herself.

"This is Beca. She's new to Barden."

"Is this the girl on the track team that you never shut up about?" The other asked, and Beca grinned at the way Chloe's cheeks evidently burned at the question.

The redhead briefly cleared her throat, "Yes, this is her." She sheepishly smiled at her girlfriend, who was now smirking at her; her ego shining brilliantly through her eyes. Chloe knew she was going to get a sarcastic earful about this later.

"Beca, these are my brothers." She said, changing the subject and gesturing to the one on the left "Chace," then to the one on the right, "and Chad."

Beca looked at her amusedly, realizing now that all of the names she had learned so far all started with "C's".

"They're graduating from the University this year."

"Oh, cool." Beca said, genuinely intrigued looking at them.

Chace waved his hand in the air, "Yeah, yeah, but enough about us." Then he and Chad shared a knowing glance before Chace looked back up at her. "Why don't you have a seat and prove to us you can really kick our asses." He waved the controller temptingly, but before Beca could respond Chloe grabbed ahold of her wrist.

"Sorry, guys. Maybe another time." Beca mouthed a sarcastic _"sorry"_ as her girlfriend pulled her away and chuckled at the disappointed whine she heard the boys share as they finally left the room.

Once upstairs, Chloe led them to a white door that had a paper taped to it with a cute and colorful "Chloe's Room" written on it. It was complimented by a small Polaroid picture taped to the bottom right corner of Chloe sticking her tongue out and holding up a sideways peace sign. Beca snickered; Chloe was adorable.

"I'm guessing this is your room?" The brunette teased and Chloe playfully narrowed her eyes at her sarcasm.

"Hmm, what gave you that idea?" She quipped, opening the door and letting Beca into her own little world.

The track star walked inside and couldn't help but smile at her surroundings. The room was **so** Chloe. There were posters and Polaroids scattered around the light blue walls and white twinkle lights hung over her windows and bed. It almost looked like a model room used for advertisement, though the random bits of clothing and accessories out of place made all the difference.

"Cute room," Beca said, her eyes still wandering as she slipped her duffel bag off of her shoulder, and Chloe smiled behind her.

"Yeah? You like it?"

The brunette nodded her head to the side as she turned around, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"I mean, it definitely looks like you."

The corner of Chloe's mouth slightly curved, "How so?" She questioned, leaning back to close the door behind her.

"Well..." Beca started, looking around again as she searched for the right words. "It's girly and bright." She stated, shifting her gaze to the other side of the room. "Stylish and creative," she continued, looking forward and smirking when she realized Chloe was gradually stepping closer to her. "And really, _really_ pretty." She finished, the redhead stopping just a few inches away from her face.

Chloe paused for a second, sharing a perfectly tense moment with Beca as they took turns stealing glances at each other's lips.

"You think I'm really pretty?" Chloe finally asked, bitting her bottom lip when Beca casually slipped her hands around her waist and tugged her closer.

"I think you're beautiful." Beca whispered honestly, surprised by her sudden boldness but relishing in her decision when the cheerleader's cheeks turned a shade darker, and her light eyes clouded with desire as they looked back down at Beca's parted lips.

She eagerly lunged forward and captured the brunette's mouth with her own, quietly moaning when the track star's tongue slipped pass her barriers and firmly caressed her with purpose.

Chloe could stay in that moment forever if it were possible; Beca's hands holding her flush against her as their mouths moved harmoniously and their tongues danced to their own lazy rhythm. But alas, nothing ever lasted forever.

"Chloe!" Claire shouted from the bottom of the steps, "Dinner's ready!"

The girls involuntarily separated, Chloe snickering disappointingly as she rested her forehead on Beca's.

"We better get down there."

They made their way down the stairs and into the dinning room where Claire had just placed a stack of plates on the table.

"Oh, Mom, we can do that." Chloe offered, taking the stack and handing three to Beca.

"Thanks, hun." She said, turning to walk back into the kitchen.

Beca and Chloe placed the plates between the already organized silverware, subconsciously glancing at each other and mirroring the smiles that couldn't resist to express themselves when they made eye contact. It was pretty amazing how just the slightest glimpse of one another could instantly erupt butterflies in their stomachs and rapidly shoot tingles through their veins that settled back inside their hearts. How was that even possible?

Claire came back from the kitchen with two bowls of food in her hands. She asked Beca and Chloe to bring out the rest, then hollered for Chace and Chad to join them at the table. Chloe sat down first, and Beca would be lying if she said she didn't have a sudden urge to pull the redhead's chair out for her. But the track star knew the action probably would have sparked questioning looks and questions from the rest of the family, so reluctantly, Beca swallowed her desire and continued to just sit next to her secret girlfriend instead.

Just as the brunette jerked her seat forward, Charlie's sudden barking rang throughout the house and the sound of the front door shutting caught everyone's attention. Chace and Chad were quick to shift their focus back to serving themselves some food, but a few moments later, an older, brunette man, dressed in a suite and tie, entered the dining room with a smile.

"Hey, guys." He said, making his way around the table.

"Hi, dad." Chloe smiled, as the man paused to place a kiss on her head.

"Hey, sweetie." He replied, then stopped when he noticed Beca; who smiled shyly at him, finding the tall man a little intimidating.

"You must be Beca," he grinned, and the track star eased a little at his friendliness.

"Heh," Beca breathed, smiling at Chloe before looking back at the man, "What gave it away?"

"Well," he started, placing a hand on top of his daughter's head and patting it as he spoke, "let's just say Chloe would make a great representative for you if you ever needed one."

Beca smirked at her, "So I've heard." And if it wasn't for their little secret, she would have placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

After Mr. Beale sat down to join the rest of the family, he finished introducing himself to Beca by telling her his name, Christopher– and yes, Beca internally rolled her eyes in amusement.

 _Of course it was._

Casual conversation didn't take long to erupt amongst the table and Beca couldn't help but feel completely welcomed but the Beale family. They included her like she was already part of the family. It was nice. And Beca could see where Chloe got her natural friendly and bubbly personality.

"So, Beca," Mr. Beale started, taking a bite of his tasty lasagna, "Chloe tells us you're a star on the school's track team."

And Beca wanted to blush at the compliment, but did well to hold her composure.

"Oh, I don't know about that." She chuckled, glancing at her smiling girlfriend next to her, "We have our first track meet next Friday, so I guess my skills will be put to the test then."

"Speaking of skills," Chace mumbled, accidentally spitting out a few small pieces of the bread roll he was chewing, "How about we go downstairs to the man cave after dinner and you–" he grinned, pointing the roll at the brunette across from him, "can live up to word about gaming."

Chloe rolled her eyes and interjected before Beca could respond, "Are you guys gonna be bugging her all night?"

It was Chad's turn to take over, "What? We wanna get to know your new friend." Chloe groaned and looked back down at her plate. Beca peeked at her through the corner of her eye and snickered at her girlfriend's adorably irritated face. It was kind of fun watching Chloe get so annoyed over the idea of her brothers taking Beca's time away from her.

* * *

After the delicious and enjoyable dinner, Chloe and Claire picked up some of the dirty dishes and took them to the kitchen. Beca didn't want to be rude, so she gathered the remaining plates and followed them. Chloe was placing her items into the sink as her mother began running water over them. Beca caught both of their attention when she placed her stack of plates onto the counter next to them.

"Oh, it's okay, girls. I've got this." Claire insisted, picking the stack up and placing it with the others. "You guys go ahead and enjoy the rest of your night."

"Thanks, Mom." Chloe smiled, ensnaring her bottom lip between her teeth with excitement and grabbing ahold of Beca's hand. "Come on."

Beca giggled as the redhead eagerly lead her back to the front of the house. Just as they were making their way back upstairs, Chloe suddenly stopped them.

"Um, actually– Can you just hang out in my room for a sec? I gotta take care of something real quick."

Beca half-shrugged, "Sure."

"Thanks." Chloe let go of the brunette's hand and made her way downstairs to the basement slash "man cave". She found her brothers preparing to play another video game and quickly walked over to block them, standing in front of their X-box with her arms crossed.

"What's it gonna take for you guys to leave the house tonight?"

Chad quirked a questioning brow, but Chace smirked.

"Fifty bucks," he stated, and Chloe dropped her jaw a little at that. But alone time with Beca would definitely be worth it, so she glared at her older brother and reached for her right pocket.

"And you have to do our laundry for a month." Chad happily added, earning a high-five from his twin, and this time Chloe scoffed.

"Are you guys serious?"

Chace shrugged, "Do you want us to leave you and your friend alone or not?" And the tone of his cocky voice irked Chloe down to her core. She hated that her brothers knew her so well. From the seventeen years they had lived with their sister, Chace and Chad had grown to learn all of Chloe's weaknesses; One of them being her strong desire for things. They knew that if Chloe really wanted something, she was willing to do just about anything to get it.

After a few moments of internal debating, Chloe eventually gave in and huffed.

"You guys suck." She reluctantly handed them the money and gave them one last irritated scowl before spinning around on her heel and making her way back up to her bedroom.

Chloe opened the door and was surprised with an unexpected flash. She yelped as she jerked backwards and instinctively brought her hands up to cover her face. She didn't know what the hell had just happened, but the sound of Beca's laughter made her reopen her eyes to find the brunette pulling out a new Polaroid coming out of Chloe's camera.

"Really, Beca?" The ginger scolded, somewhat annoyed at the startling gesture, but finding Beca's childlike amusement in the small prank adorable enough to have her irritation quickly fade away.

The cheerleader shook her head, "You're so annoying." She muttered, the creeping smile on her face contradicting her statement as she approached her younger girlfriend, who was grinning at the small picture.

"I'm putting this up on my wall," she said, and Chloe snatched the photo out of her hand to analyze it; gasping when the color fully registered.

"You are not!" She gaped, having the photo quickly taken back by the track star.

"Oh, come on," Beca said, snickering at the startled look on her face captured in the moment. "It's not _that_ bad." She then tilted her head to the side, "You actually look kinda cute."

"Beca Mitchell," Chloe warned, placing her hands on her hips, "you are **not** putting that picture up _anywhere_ on your wall. Understand?"

The track star looked at her with one of those confident little smirks of hers, clearly not intimidated by the redhead's threat, and it made Chloe just want to kiss her.

There was a brief silence filled with testing glares until Beca finally broke it and said, "Fine, I won't put it up on my wall." But instead of handing the picture back, Beca swiftly tucked the photo into her back pocket, "But I'm still keeping it!" She laughed as she quickly stepped out of the way when Chloe suddenly lunged for it.

Finding her attempts unsuccessful, the redhead eventually stood up and sucked her teeth.

"Whyyy?" She whined, slouching her shoulders forward and overall looking like a kicked puppy.

"Because I like it." Beca said matter-of-factly.

Chloe scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "You are so stubborn."

The track star looked at her and grinned, stepping closer, challenging her.

"You love it."

The corner of Chloe's mouth curved into a grin of her own as she watched her girlfriend's lips moving closer to hers. But suddenly, Chloe somehow managed to sneak the camera out of Beca's grasp, then brought her head back just as Beca's lips were grazing hers.

Chloe smirked, "Not as much as you think, Becs." And her whispered tease triggered a shiver to travel down the track star's back. Chloe's strong self-control was impressive, and Beca felt her cheeks starting to heat up when she realized it was also kind of turning her on.

She watched in a daze as the redhead walked over to her dresser, placing camera on top, then turning to face the brunette again; who managed to force herself out of her previous hypnotized state. Chloe smirked confidently, almost as if she knew she was winning whatever inconspicuous game it was that they were playing.

 _Check._

But Beca wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

"Okay then." The brunette said simply, seemingly unaffected by Chloe's obvious and flirtatious antics. She then plopped down onto the ginger's bed, slightly bouncing a few times before finally coming to a full stop. "So, what do you wanna do?" She smiled, trying to change the atmosphere to a less sexually tensed one, but Chloe wasn't done playing.

She was just going to have to change tactics.

The redhead smiled, "Well, I do have a few fun things in mind that we could do. But, hold on–" She pulled out her phone to check the time. "It's almost seven." She said, looking back up at the brunette, "Wanna just shower first so we can change into our pjs and be comfortable the rest of the night?"

The idea seemed pretty logical, so Beca shrugged, "Yeah, okay."

"Great!" Chloe turned and pulled open one of her drawers. Beca took the action as a sign the cheerleader was going to go first, so she took out her phone and laid back on the bed, opening a game app to entertain herself with.

After finding all of the pieces she needed, Chloe gathered the items in her hands and walked over to her bathroom door. She stopped at the doorframe and stared at Beca until the brunette finally felt her light eyes on her and turned her head to face Chloe.

"What?"

The redhead raised her brow as if it were obvious, "Well aren't you gonna join me?"

 _Check and mate._

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: ...don't hate me. xD**


	21. One Step Further

**Author's 1st Note: Oh snap... It's the chapter you've all been waiting for!**

 **I'm actually pretty happy I managed to type this thing out in the amount of time that I did. You guys don't know this, but I actually have ADHD and sitting down to write these** **detailed chapters always takes me FOREVER, since I just can't help but stop every 5 minutes and do something else that isn't writing. Lol**

 **Anyway! I wanted to make this chapter special for you guys and really pushed myself to just focus and get it done.**

 **Now without further ado, please enjoy this rambling mess of a chapter. x)**

* * *

The question practically slapped Beca across the face and the brunette quickly sat up with widened eyes.

"What did you say?"

She **had** to ask, because there was **no freakin' way** she heard Chloe correctly.

The redhead smirked, "I asked if you were gonna join me."

And her honest response did absolutely nothing to ease the hard knocking of Beca's heart in her chest. Was this really happening? Was Chloe _actually_ asking Beca to take a shower **_with_** her!?

 **IN HER OWN HOME?!**

"W-What?" Beca asked again, blinking in disbelief and not really caring how badly her cheeks were blushing.

Chloe giggled, "Becs, relax. It's fine if you don't want to." And then she shrugged, like what she was asking really wasn't a big deal, "Just thought I'd ask." She then turned, leaving a stunned Beca sitting on her bed bewildered, but before Chloe could completely shut the door, she stopped and grinned when she heard a sudden,

"Wait."

Chloe slowly reopened the door and peeked through the crack, "Yeesss?" She watched the way Beca's face reflected her internal debate about wether or not she should really do this. And Chloe could tell she was conflicted, but she could also tell that there was absolutely no doubt the brunette wanted to just as much as she did.

"Umm..." Beca chewed her bottom lip, avoiding eye contact with the alluring redhead in front of her, and she took one last moment to finally make her decision.

Beca closed her eyes and released a slow breath.

"O-Okay."

Chloe's smile shifted from it's previous mischievous expression, to a much softer one.

"Becs," she started, putting her clothes down on the sink counter before walking over to the anxious track star. "It's okay if you don't want to."

"No!" Beca blurted, not meaning to shout, but startling the redhead nonetheless, "I mean, sorry." She shook her head, hoping it would somehow aid in collecting herself, "I want to. I do. It's just– I don't know you make me...nervous."

The words came out much easier than she thought they would, and Beca was relieved when Chloe responded positively to the confession; reaching forward to lace their fingers together and rest her forehead on hers.

"I make you nervous?" Chloe grinned and Beca playfully rolled her eyes.

"No need to boost the ego, Chlo."

The cheerleader laughed in response, "My bad. I'll be sure to keep it in check." She winked and enjoyed the next few seconds of just smiling at each other before letting go of Beca's hands. "Alright, well, you go get your things and I'll–" Her eyes briefly flicked down to the track star's lips, "meet you in the bathroom."

Chloe gleefully pivoted around and made her way into the other room. Beca smiled, releasing a short breath before moving to her bag to take out her pajamas. She couldn't believe what was about to happen, and despite her nerves violently fluttering in her stomach, Beca couldn't have been more excited.

After collecting her things, the track star slowly walked over to the bathroom door. Chloe hadn't closed it all the way, so after swallowing the lump that had developed in her throat, Beca gently pushed the door open.

The track star had expected Chloe to already be somewhat undressed, but was surprised to find her wiping her face with a white rag in front of the sink mirror.

The redhead stopped to look at her, "Hey," then went back to the mirror, "Sorry, just wanted to get my makeup off first."

Beca relaxed a little, closing the door behind her and moving around the cheerleader to place her clothes on the other side of the counter.

"Hey, Chlo?"

The ginger kept her gaze on her reflection, but hummed in response, "Hm?"

"What if like, one of your parents or brothers walks into your room?" Beca didn't want to be a party pooper, but the potential of getting caught was still very real.

"They won't." Chloe said simply, finishing with her makeup removal and turning to look at Beca. "Besides," she tossed the wipe into the small trash bin next to her and walked over to the smaller brunette, stopping just a few inches away from her, "I made sure to lock the door."

Beca titled her head to the side for a moment, squinting her eyes in thought. Then her eyes found Chloe's again.

"Did you have this in mind before I even got here?" She asked suspiciously, quirking her eyebrow to persuade the obvious truth out of her girlfriend.

Chloe grinned, chewing on her bottom lip. "Maybe..." She sang, quickly spinning back around to go turn the shower on.

"You're trouble," Beca muttered, crossing her arms with a small smirk as she watched the cheerleader test and adjust the water a few times. The ginger eventually found a satisfying temperature, then walked over to a small white cabinet to pull out two towels.

And it wasn't until Chloe started removing her shirt that the reality of it all really sank in for Beca. Her jaw slightly fell as she watched the redhead's fingers hook under her white blouse and swiftly tug the garment up and over her head. And sure, by this point Beca had seen Chloe naked _plenty_ of times, thanks to her "confidence" in the girl's locker room. But it seemed like no matter how many times Beca's eyes landed on the redhead's perfectly sculpted body, the track star could feel her mouth go dry and her body go numb as she marveled in the stunning sight that was, Chloe Beale.

Kind of like how she was feeling as Chloe then started to slip out of her jeans and toss them to the side, leaving her in nothing but her mismatched underwear. She turned in time to catch Beca gawking at her and giggled when the brunette quickly looked away– the blush on her cheeks revealing her embarrassment.

"You're not gonna shower in your clothes are you?"

Beca looked back at the ginger, who was leaning against the sink smugly and staring at her like she could see right through her. The sight only added to the flame that was burning in the pit of Beca's stomach and she laughed nervously.

"N-No, I was just, um–"

"Enjoying the view?" And Beca scoffed, surprised by her provoking question.

Chloe was such a tease. But two could play at that game.

Beca grinned as she gripped onto her plaid, gradually pulling it down and off of her arms.

"Something like that." She said, confidently dropping the flannel to the ground and savoring the way Chloe's light eyes seemed to darken as they followed each and every one of Beca's movements. The brunette then pulled her t-shirt off, over her shoulders, and felt a chill run up her spine when the bathroom air tickled her newly exposed skin.

Chloe's gaze never left the brunette's body and Beca crossed her arms, smirking at her.

"Now who's enjoying the view?"

The redhead wasn't as bashful about being caught as Beca was, because okay, she wasn't even trying that hard to be subtle. So instead of looking away, Chloe owned up to her ogling and confidently smirked back.

"I can't help it," she said, moving away from the sink to predatorily stalk over to the track star until they were toe to toe. "My girlfriend is _really_ hot."

And usually Beca would have swallowed down a nervous knot that suddenly formed in the back of her throat, or felt her body involuntarily quiver with angst, but she was having way too much fun with their back and forth banter. So instead, Beca's inner courage quipped with,

"Oh she is, huh?" Chloe nodded as she brushed their noses together, "Well does your girlfriend know you're about to take a shower with me?"

The cheerleader grinned, "I don't think–" then slowly started to unbutton Beca's jeans, reveling in the way the smaller girl's chest rose and fell less rhythmically as the pace of her breathing began to increase. "She would mind."

The brunette's body reacted instantly to Chloe's shameless teasing. But although her inner self was flaring with a million fireworks, Beca's limbs remained frozen. All she could do was watch with parted lips as Chloe hooked her thumbs into the denim material and slyly pulled the garment down, dragging her own body down with it.

And seeing Chloe from that lower angle, her sparkling blue eyes beaming up at the brunette as she finished bringing her pants down to her ankles, strangely **did** something to Beca. Almost like some animalistic part of her that had been hibernating this entire time suddenly sparked to life. Whatever it was, it made Beca squirm.

Once Chloe made her way back up to her feet, Beca kicked off her jeans and the two were left staring at each other with the steam from the shower gradually filling up the room. This caught Chloe's attention and the redhead quickly reacted by rushing back over to the stall to lower the temperature.

"Sorry." She chuckled, "Made it a little too hot."

"Yeah, I'll say." Beca snickered, making Chloe narrow her eyes.

"Is that suppose to have a double meaning, Miss Mitchell?" She said, playfully posing with her hands on her hips.

The track star shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe." She smirked, earning a laugh from the cheerleader.

"Okay, well all jokes aside, we better hop in this thing before I drain all the hot water out of this house."

And without any form of hesitation, Chloe reached back to unhook her bra. The white under garment fell, as did Beca's eyes, and the anxious brunette took in a breath when she was met with the ravishing view of Chloe's breasts. Sure she had snuck in a few peeks in the locker room before, but this was different. This moment was much more profound.

Without missing a beat, the cheerleader then reached down and casually pushed down last piece of clothing that was left covering the most sacred part of her body. And after tossing the pink underwear aside, Chloe looked up to find Beca slightly trembling in place, and for a second, Chloe could have sworn she saw her eye twitch.

Beca had to blink a few times before she finally processed the fact that Chloe was staring at her, so out of habit, she quickly looked away.

"S-Sorry," she muttered, her skin feeling like it was on fire.

"Becs, it's okay." Chloe smiled, having to walk over to the brunette again since it seemed like Beca wasn't going to move anytime soon. Chloe used her finger to redirect her girlfriend's face back to her. "I want you to look."

Beca knew Chloe was being sincere, and she knew every moment like this with Chloe was okay. That **she** was okay. Beca hated that her nerves continued to get in the way because she didn't want Chloe to feel like she didn't want her, because honestly, Beca **really** wanted her.

 _Relax, Mitchell. Just relax._

The track star chuckled nervously, "Sorry," she said again, "I don't mean to get so weird when it comes to this stuff. I just–" and shrugged, "I guess I'm just not use to it."

Chloe shook her head, "No, it's okay. You don't have to apologize." She used the placement of her hand to lift the brunette's head up so she could bring their lips together for a chaste kiss. "I don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to. Okay?" She then dropped her hands to briefly play with Beca's fingers, "We'll just take a shower. That's it."

Her genuine smile eased the brunette's worries, but what Chloe didn't know was just how much Beca was mentally kicking herself. Because actually, wether the the track star was going to admit it or not, Beca really, _really_ wanted to do more.

 _Way to go, Bec._

She watched the redhead turn away and slide open up the stall door, winking before fully stepping inside. Beca sighed in disappointment, feeling like her obvious window of opportunity was lost, and started removing the last bits of clothing she still had on. But okay, so maybe they weren't going to do anything in the shower. Beca wasn't going to let herself be too disappointed because, _hello,_ they were still going to take a shower, **together.**

Finally left in nothing but her birthday suit, Beca approached the shower stall with the humming redhead inside and took a deep breath before finally sliding the door open and entering the stall.

Chloe was rinsing her hair under the running water and wiped her eyes before opening them to look at Beca.

"There you are." She smiled, stepping aside so Beca could have a turn under the warm water.

"Thanks," Beca smiled back, switching positions with the redhead and being careful to not touch her. Chloe was respecting Beca's boundaries, and even though the brunette actually wouldn't have minded if she "disrespected" them, the track star wanted to make sure she did the same.

Beca dropped her head back to wet her face and hair, and even though her eyes were shut, she could still physically feel Chloe's raking up her body. Beca didn't want to think about it too much, desperately wanting her nerves to just go away so she could simply enjoy this experience with her girlfriend.

So she did.

Beca forced herself to find a new, inner courage that finally eased her tense muscles and encouraged her to reopen her eyes so she could fully appreciate the gift that Chloe had decided she was worthy enough to earn.

The redhead smiled when Beca boldly decided to tug the cheerleader closer and bring her in for a heated kiss. This one was much more needy than the brief one they had shared just moments ago, and it didn't take long for their tongues to find each other and start their own little battle of dominance.

And yeah, okay, Beca was definitely glad she decided not to tell Chloe that she had actually already showered before she came. Especially when she groaned as Chloe slipped her hand to back of her hair to grip onto her wet locks, nipping at her bottom lip as their mouths continued to pull and press against each other.

Yeah, Chloe didn't need to know that.

The heat between them was beginning to rapidly increase as their self control slowly dwindle little by little. Beca pressed herself flush against Chloe, not really caring to register the fact that they were _very_ **naked** and _very_ **wet** at the moment– perhaps even in more ways than one– All she could think about now was how good Chloe's tongue felt twisting and turning against hers, and how much her core was beginning to ache with a longing desire.

Beca was beginning to discover something new about herself. The idea of being intimate with Chloe always made her super freakin' nervous, but it seemed like once Beca finally took the leap of faith and just _did_ it, her body and mind would naturally switch to autopilot and just do and feel everything she really wanted to.

So if it wasn't for Chloe eventually pulling away to break their feverish make out session, Beca wondered just how far she could have actually taken things.

"Sorry, Becs." Chloe breathed, still panting, "I didn't mean to get carried away like that." Then she reluctantly let go of the brunette and turned around to apply conditioner to her hair, leaving Beca behind her, deeply regretting the involuntary choice of letting her nerves get in the way and making Chloe feel like she had to restrain herself.

"It's okay..." Was all Beca could murmur, making a final– and potentially life changing– decision to no longer let her anxiety dictate her actions. No. No more. The next time Chloe wanted to be intimate with her, Beca was going to give in and let go.

The rest of their shower was still wonderful. Beca was glad Chloe's mood hadn't been altered after she had stopped them from going any further. At some point the cheerleader asked if she could wash Beca's hair for her and the brunette happily accepted the offer, savoring the way Chloe's fingers expertly massaged her scalp. The sensation was amazing, but since Chloe had already washed her hair, Beca made a mental note to return the favor the next time they found themselves in a shower together– which thinking ahead to their usual morning runs, might not be so far away.

They eventually came out of the steaming stall with wide smiles spread across their faces. It was a pleasant step further into their relationship and they shared a laugh when Chloe mentioned that they probably did use up all the hot water in the house. They dried themselves off and changed together in the same room, finding a new comfortableness in being naked with each other. It was nice, and Beca was glad her usual nerves were continuously easing away.

After getting cozy in their pjs, Beca took her pile of clothes and repacked them into her bag. She pulled out a hair brush and as Beca made her way back into the bathroom to rejoin her girlfriend, she paused for a moment to look at a family photo sitting on top of Chloe's drawer. She smiled at the picture, then reentered the other room.

"So you guys are big fans of the letter 'C', huh?" Beca chaffed, walking around the ginger, who was already detangling her red locks, and stood next to her.

Chloe chuckled, "Yeah, it was my mom's idea. It started on her side of the family." She explained, and shrugged, "I guess she wanted to carry on the tradition." Then she looked at the track star through the mirror's reflection, "Just wait 'till you meet my uncle Cal and aunt Catherine."

"Yikes," Beca jested, earning another laugh from the redhead.

"Yeah, I know."

Once they finished with their hair, Chloe led Beca back down to the kitchen in search of some snacks they could munch on for the rest of the night.

Chloe opened their food pantry and hummed, "Are you in the mood for something salty, or sweet?" She asked.

Beca took a moment to scan her options before replying with, "Why not both?"

Chloe grinned as she looked over her shoulder, "I like the way you think, Mitchell." She reached inside and pulled out two bags of chips, a pack of gummy worms and a small box of Hostess cupcakes. She plopped the items onto the counter so Beca can review her choices, when Claire suddenly entered the room.

"Hey, girls." She smiled, walking over to the sink with an empty cup, but stopping next to Beca to look at the scattered items. "Ooh, nice choices." She commented, then continued her way to the sink.

Chloe chuckled, "Thanks, Mom," and looked at Beca, gesturing to the chosen snacks, "What do you think, Becs? Good?"

The track star gave a half nod, "Works for me."

"Awes." Chloe closed the pantry and handed the chips to Beca, collecting the last two items, then heading out the door.

"Oh, by the way," Chloe's mother intoned, bringing the girls back, "I bought some ice cream in case you wanted any."

"Oh," Chloe chirped, looking at Beca, who was smiling like child, "thanks, mom." She handled the gummy worms and cupcakes in one hand, while the other opened the freezer and pulled out the small carton of chocolate chip ice cream.

"Bec, can you grab two spoons from my mom, please?" Beca nodded, retrieving the utensils from Mrs. Beale, then followed the younger redhead out of the kitchen.

Chloe smiled to herself, thankful for having a mother like hers and hollered a, "Goodnight, mom!" before opening the basement door and letting Beca go in first.

They walked down the steps until they were finally met with the "man cave," and Chloe giggled a bit at the way Beca's eyes slightly widened as she looked around the room.

"Dude..." She said, awing at the finished basement that had a wide screen tv hanging over an entertainment center with multiple game consoles on it; a really comfortable looking couch and two bean bag chairs. Posters and a few framed pieces hung on the light grey walls, accompanied by collectibles that were scattered throughout the room.

Behind the main gaming area was a fuze ball table and to the right– on the other side of the stairs– a pool table. Then to the far right corner sat a bar slash concession stand. Behind the bar, amongst the wide variety of alcoholic beverages, was a small popcorn machine; And even Beca had to admit that was pretty cool.

"Hey, aren't your brothers gonna like, kick us out of their spot?" Beca asked, handing the chips and spoons to Chloe, watching the redhead place the items on the bar and sticking the ice cream in a mini fridge.

"Not much chance of that." She heard Chloe mutter, and Beca furrowed her brow. "Why not?"

The cheerleader stood back up with a grin, "Because I bribed them to leave for the rest of the night."

Beca's slightly mouth dropped, impressed, and the corner of her lips curved up in a playful smirk.

"You seriously bribed your brothers?"

"Mhmm," she hummed, making her way back to her girlfriend. "Fifty bucks, and a weeks worth of laundry duty, but it was worth it." She draped her arms over the brunette's shoulders and pecked her lips.

"Oh yeah?" Beca grinned, her hands resting on the redhead's hips. "And why's that?"

"Well," Chloe started, gliding her hands down the brunette's arms to lace their fingers together, "I couldn't let them steal you away from me." Then she rested her forehead on hers, deciding it was one of her favorite places to be. "And now I have you all to myself."

Beca's heart fluttered with bliss, thinking about– for the millionth time– just how lucky she was to have a girlfriend like Chloe. She gently tugged the cheerleader closer and planted a thankful kiss on her lips, loving the way Chloe smiled against her. Their surroundings weren't as "steamy" as they had been in the shower, so eventually pulling away wasn't as difficult this time around.

"So," Chloe said, squeezing Beca's hands in excitement, "Whatdaya wanna do? We can play pool, play some video games, or– Ooh! We could watch a movie!" Her brilliant and childlike smile made the brunette chuckle.

"I'm guessing you really like watching movies?" Beca asked, amused, and the redhead nodded her head surely.

"Oh, totes. Don't you?"

Beca shrugged, "Eh, I don't know. Never really been that much of a movie buff."

"What!" Chloe gasped, letting go of the brunette's hands humorously; shocked to hear of this news. "You don't like movies?"

And Beca couldn't contain her laughter at her girlfriend's dramatic reaction.

"I didn't say I didn't like them." She chuckled, "There are a few that I do like. Just not many."

Chloe continued to gape, still dumbfounded for a few moments before shaking her head and coming back to the present with an idea.

"Okay then. Let's make a deal," she prompted.

"Shoot."

"If I play whatever two games you want in this room with you, will you watch two movies with me?"

And normally Beca would have immediately shot down the request, but this was Chloe asking. Her widened blue eyes, combined with a cute pout, tugged at the track star's heart, and it didn't take long for the brunette to ultimately give in.

Beca let out a defeated sigh, "Fine," and Chloe beamed.

"Yay!" She kissed the smaller girl's cheek and spun around to stand at the bar again, holding up some of the items she had left there. "So what should we snack on first?"

After taking out two sodas from the mini fridge to compliment their snacks, Beca asked to play a round of pool. Chloe was more than happy to play and brought the bag of gummy worms with her as Beca set up the table for a new game. Beca broke, and after the both of them missed their first shots, Beca landed the solid purple ball first, leaving Chloe with stripes. They gradually fell into whimsical competition, playfully glaring at one another from across the table and making witty banter as they took their shots.

At one point Beca circled around and purposely wrapped her arms around the giggling redhead to aim and take a shot. When she surprisingly made it, she stood up and smirked at her girlfriend, who was adorably dangling a gummy worm from her mouth. The track star leaned forward and took in the other end of the candy, sucking it gently until their lips grazed, and Beca couldn't believe they were actually having a 'Lady and the Tramp' moment. Their lips came together and yes, it was _so_ cheesy. But strangely, Beca couldn't care less. And she smiled into the redhead, tasting the sweet tang that was still left on her lips.

* * *

Beca eventually won the game, thanks to Chloe missing two crucial shots near the end. Chloe would argue Beca distracted her when the redhead tried to focus on her aim and the track star decided to slowly drag a gummy worm out of her mouth at the exact same time. But Beca would say that was just a coincidence.

 _Sure, Mitchell._

They moved on to the X-Box, where Beca challenged Chloe to redeem herself in a game of Guitar Hero. The brunettes's confidence was riding high after her win at the pool table, but her cockiness encouraged her to underestimate Chloe's skill, and after facing the cheerleader off in three different songs, Beca was left gawking when the redhead creamed her in every single one.

"Where the hell did you learn to play like that?" Beca asked, her mouth still slightly hanging open.

Chloe shrugged confidently, "I don't know. I guess I'm just full of surprises." Her narrowed eyes and tight smirk expressed her obvious provoking of the younger brunette, but the track star kept her cool.

"Well, I mean, I was pretty rusty..." She emphasized her claim with a few exaggerated stretches and Chloe laughed at her antics.

"Yeah, okay, Becs." She lifted the guitar strap over her head and took Beca's, putting both controllers back where they belonged, next to the entertainment center. She took a a few steps to the right, then turned to face Beca as she stood in front of a black cabinet. Her bottom lip ensnared between her teeth and her hands were charmingly kept behind her back.

"Guess what?" Chloe grinned, and Beca was pretty sure she already knew the answer before she even asked,

"What?"

The redhead opened the cabinet behind her, revealing a colorful collection of DVDs, and yup, that's exactly what Beca was thinking.

"Time to watch a movie." Beca could practically feel her stomach fluttering with butterflies, but this time, it wasn't because she was nervous. Beca just really enjoyed watching the way Chloe would physically light up whenever she spoke about things that she loved. Her vibe was infectious, filling Beca's body with an airy sensation that made her feel weightless, and her brilliant smile was contagious, always making Beca want to mirror the expression.

"Fine," Beca said, plopping down onto the couch, "But nothing with a predictable ending!" She declared, and Chloe happily squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement.

"Okay!" She turned and dropped down, balancing on the balls of her feet as she scanned through her options.

The movies were organized in alphabetical order– thanks to Chad's slight OCD– and as Chloe's finger passed the 'P' section, she gasped when she landed on her favorite movie of all time. She pulled the DVD out with enthusiasm, but suddenly hesitated. There was no way Beca would be interested in watching a movie about college girls singing in an acapella group. Chloe pouted disappointedly to herself, hoping one day Beca would be willingly to watch it with her, and reluctantly put it back in it's place.

It wasn't until Chloe reached the 'W' section, that she finally found a movie Beca most likely hadn't seen and also had a very interesting plot twist in the end.

"Found one!" She stood back up and handed the DVD to Beca.

The brunette quirked an eyebrow as she read the title, "Would you rather?"

Chloe nodded, "Mhmm. It's actually pretty eerie, but my favorite actress is in it and I promise you won't predict the ending."

Beca snickered and looked up at her, "Who's your favorite actress?"

"Brittany Snow." Chloe answered without a doubt, "She's amazing. I really love her acting and ugh, she's like, so gorgeous. It's unfair."

Beca chuckled at her girlfriend's enthusiasm and stood back up, "Well I don't think I've ever seen her in anything before, but–" She leaned in closer, her eyes shifting between Chloe's and the redhead's parted lips, "I'm sure she's got nothing on you."

The compliment was immediately rewarded with an eager kiss from Chloe, who struggled to keep their lips together since she couldn't stop herself from smiling so much.

"Thanks, babe." Chloe grinned when they separated, and Beca felt her chest briefly tighten when she realized it was the first time Chloe had ever called her that. And how was it even possible that such a small little word could make Beca feel so... giddy?

"Anytime," the track star managed to reply with, despite her personal little high she was reveling in.

Chloe then reached down and picked up the DVD, "You ready?" She gleed, and Beca snickered.

"As I'll ever be." She reclaimed her seat on the couch and watched her girlfriend set up the movie.

Chloe popped in the disc and grabbed the remote.

"Want some popcorn?" She asked before getting comfortable on the couch.

"Actually," Beca started, a guileless smile toying on her lips, "Can we have some of that ice cream your mom bought?"

"Oh, yeah!" Chloe exclaimed, then made her way over to the bar, "I totally forgot about it." She pulled out the carton and grabbed the two spoons that were sitting on top, swiftly returning to the couch shortly after.

"Here you go," she said, handing one of the spoons to the track star next to her. "Thank you."

Chloe held her spoon in her mouth as she hit play on the remote and reached over to turn off the lamp. Beca wasted no time in opening the small container and already had a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth before the main menu even popped up on the screen. Chloe giggled and joined her, digging into the sweet treat and savoring the creamy taste.

* * *

As the movie progressed, Chloe continued to glance at Beca through the corner of her eye, checking to see if the brunette was actually enjoying the film. She was happy to find that in fact, yeah, Beca did actually look entertained. It was funny to watch her facial expressions change depending on whatever scene they were on. But out of all the reactions Beca conveyed, the most amusing was when the grand plot twist revealed itself in the end. Beca was left gawking at the screen, brows deeply furrowed and hands extended in a silent question. She was basically the phrase, "what the fuck," but in human form.

" **That** is how this movie ends? Seriously!?" Beca exclaimed, finally coming through after sitting in bewilderment for a few minutes.

Chloe had to bite back her laughter, "Mhmm," she nodded, "Pretty good, huh?" And she knew the question would incite the already agitated brunette, but she just couldn't help it.

"What?" Beca looked at her, "No! Are you kidding me?" And Chloe doesn't think she's ever seen the brunette use her hands so much, "She goes through all of that shit for what? Nothing? I mean– I just–" Beca shook her head, catching the increased speed of her heart rate, "I can't right now."

Chloe couldn't contain her amusement any longer and burst out into laughter, earning a narrowed glare and slight pout from her girlfriend.

"I'm glad you liked it," Chloe managed between giggles, wiping a small tear from the corner of her eye. Beca only groaned and crossed her arms, looking away to the other side. She was adorable without even trying.

"So are you ready for round two?" Chloe gleefully asked, standing and making her way back to the DVD cabinet.

Beca tittered, "Hold on, I'm gonna need a short intermission after watching **that** mess." She pulled out her phone from her pocket and sat back to skim though her notifications.

Chloe chuckled, "Go for it," and started her search for the next movie. She had only made it to the H's when Beca suddenly spoke up again.

"Hey, wanna see my new wallpaper?"

The redhead looked over her shoulder, "Sure," and got up to approach the couch. Beca was displaying a questionable smirk as she hit one last button on her phone screen, then held up the device so Chloe could see. It didn't take long for the cheerleader to realize what it was. She could recognized those signature pigtails and pink backpack anywhere. And she immediately widened her eyes.

"Take it off!" Chloe exclaimed, snatching for the phone, but Beca moved it out of the way in time.

"Nope!" She quickly hopped off the couch, giggling as Chloe chased her from behind. "Beca! Take it off right now!"

The brunette looped around the fuze ball table, "Gotta catch me first, Red!" She made it to the stairs and paused to turn back, yelping when she underestimated how close Chloe was and jump away just before the ginger's hand could grab her.

"Mitchell!"

Beca ran around the bar and stopped at the other end, grinning wickedly as she shifted from side to side, making sure to opposite Chloe.

"What's the matter, Chlo?" She teased, slightly panting, "Can't catch your girlfriend?"

It was evident that Chloe was trying hard to hold back the smile that was fighting to be released, chewing on her bottom lip as she glared at the cheeky brunette.

"Beca..." Chloe warned.

"Chloe..." The track star mimicked.

"You have three seconds to delete that picture."

Beca lightly bit down on her tongue with an open grin. This was fun.

"Or what?"

Chloe didn't even bother to answer the question, "One..." Beca didn't flinch. "Two..." But she did glance at the couch before the redhead hit, "Three!"

Beca bolted for couch with a laugh and leaped head first onto it. Her face landed in one of the pillows and she gripped her phone close to her chest, holding onto it for dear life as she felt Chloe land on top of her back.

"Give it, Beca!" She struggled to reach the device under the laughing brunette, so Chloe decided to change tactics and found an opening above Beca's ribcage. "Okay, you asked for this." The redhead playfully ran her fingers up and down the sensitive area and was instantly met with writhing and shrieking beneath her.

"Ah! No, Chloe! Don't!" The track star could barely make out the words as she struggled to release herself from Chloe's grip; pushing and squirming to break free, but the cheerleader's toned thighs had too much of a strong hold of her. The ginger laughed as she continued her torture, trying to find all of Beca's tickle spots as fast as she could.

"Chloe, please!" Beca cried, and with all the strength she had left, she shifted her body, turning in place until she was finally face to face with the disheveled redhead. "Okay! Okay!" Beca panted, lifting stray hairs away from her reddened face. "I'll delete it."

Chloe finally halted her fingers and sat up, resting on her heels.

"Good," she grinned smugly, taking the moment to catch her own breath.

"But only if you give me a kiss."

Chloe's grin turned into a pleasant smirk and she leaned back down, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Fine," she whispered and pecked the brunette on her lips.

Beca made a face, "That doesn't count."

Chloe rolled her eyes and leant back down to hold a kiss that lasted at least three seconds this time. When she pulled back, Beca was looking at her with hooded eyes and a goofy grin that was gradually widening on her lips. And suddenly, Chloe found herself caring less and less about the embarrassing photo the track star still had on her phone.

"One more," Beca murmured and the redhead happily obliged, capturing the brunette's lips with her own and sighing when Beca didn't hesitate to slip her tongue into the cheerleader's mouth.

Chloe would never get tired of kissing Beca. The feeling was just too intoxicating. Whenever their lips connected, it was like time stood still around them and all Chloe could feel, smell, and think about, was Beca. It just always felt, **right** ; being with her. And Chloe knew she had grown to be addicted to the track star's soft, enticing lips. No matter how many times they kissed, Chloe could never get enough

Beca dropped her phone, not caring at all that it landed on the floor, and brought her hand up to tangle in Chloe's soft hair. The redhead still smelled like the fruity shampoo they had used in the shower, and Beca felt like her senses were going to go haywire when Chloe readjusted her thighs so she could sit comfortably around Beca's waist, lightly rocking her hips as their kiss intensified.

And for the first time in a long time, Beca wasn't feeling nervous at all. In fact, she was actually feeling kind of brave.

Beca could feel her arousal pooling in her lower region, the thin material of their pajama bottoms doing wonders to create pleasurable friction with every small roll of Chloe's hips. But Beca needed more. She took in the redhead's bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling gently as their eyes connected and her free hand glided down to the redhead's backside. She used her firm grip to pull the cheerleader down, lifting her own pelvis to meet hers and gasping a moan when their centers made contact.

"Becs..." Chloe breath, swallowing a moan of her own, but quickly being silenced by Beca's lips crashing onto hers once again.

The track star didn't understand what was going on with her. Just over an hour ago she was so nervous about showering with Chloe, that she could feel her whole body physically trembling with fear. But now here she was, groping her girlfriend's rear end and attacking her lips like her life depended on it. What the hell? Was this what it felt like to finally let go? To let her body take charge of her natural urges? Well, whatever it was, Beca was definitely grateful for it, and she hoped Chloe was enjoying her new found confidence just as much as she was.

That certainly seemed to be the case, when Chloe whimpered and grounded down harder into Beca, bringing her hand down to snake its way under the brunette's shirt. She could feel Beca's body briefly tense when her hand glided up her torso, feeling the slight dips and curves of her toned abs, then finally resting it just under her left breast. Beca's breath hitched as Chloe slowly skimmed her thumb across the defining curve.

"No bra?" Chloe grinned, teasing the soft skin.

Beca shuddered a little at her touch, "Are you complaining?" She breathed, and with that, Chloe persistently wrapped her hand around the mound and gave it a firm but gentle squeeze; reveling in the slow shaky breath Beca drew out.

"Not at all." Chloe flipped her hair to one side and leant down to attach her mouth to Beca's neck. She started at the bottom, closer to the track star's collar bone, then worked her way up, trailing open mouth kisses as her hand continued to caress and massage her soft breast.

Beca's back instinctively arched when Chloe made it to her jawline and flicked out her tongue to suck on the impressionable skin. She knew it was one of Beca's most sensitive spots and smirked when she could feel the brunette squirming beneath, muffled sounds of ecstasy escaping her lips from the back of her throat.

Chloe didn't stay in that spot for as long as Beca would have liked, and the track star whined when she eventually pulled away.

"Sorry, Becs." Chloe whispered, placing a quick kiss on her lips, "I can't leave a mark."

Beca looked up at the angel straddling her lap, her red hair slightly disheveled, eyes darkened with arousal, and cheeks brilliantly glowing with heat. And God, if there was any moment where Beca hated their deep dark secret the most, it was now. Her body was desperate for Chloe's touch. For her lips, for her skin, for her _everything_. And she didn't know how much longer she could go denying herself of what she really wanted.

She felt her body ignite with such a strong passion, that instead of thinking about it too much, Beca made an impulsive decision that would change everything between her and Chloe for the rest of their lives.

"Chlo–" She whimpered, reaching for the redhead's hand instead and guiding it down to a place that would cross every line left in their relationship. She froze with their hands hovering over her warmth and Beca forced her eyes open to gaze at her girlfriend.

"Bec..." Chloe breathed, her gazing shifting between her hand the the brunette's pleading eyes. "A-Are you sure?" She asked, wanting to make sure this was really something Beca wanted.

Unable to communicate a proper sentence, Beca squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her bottom lip, nodding vigorously as she squeaked out a strangled, _"Uh-huh."_

Chloe smiled sweetly at the younger girl beneath her and lowered herself back down to ease her with a sweet and loving kiss.

"You can let go now, Becs," Chloe muttered against her lips, and without any uncertainty, Beca finally let go.

Chloe took the track star's compliance and smiled before reconnecting their lips. She lowered her hand to the hem of Beca's pants and flicked her eyes to her girlfriend.

"Look at me, Beca."

It took a short second, but the track star managed to pry her eyes open and look at the stunning sapphires smiling back at her. Beca knew she was safe. She could feel the certainty sinking into her chest. And no matter what happened, Beca knew everything was going to be okay.

"You ready?" Chloe asked one last time, receiving another assured nod and kissing her lips once again. "Okay." Chloe bit down on her bottom lip and kept her eyes locked on Beca's as she slipped her fingers under the waistband and slowly descended her hand further down.

Beca's heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she could hear the loud knocking of it thumping in her ears. Her breathing was harsh and irregular, and her limbs felt like they were frozen in place. She could feel the redhead's lean fingers sliding down her underwear, and Beca gripped onto the pillow behind her in anticipation.

Then suddenly, as the world seemed to come to a complete stop, the brunette gasped a high pitched moan, dropping her head back and lifting her hips when Chloe's fingers finally rubbed against her core.

Beca didn't touch herself very often, but even when she did, it **never** felt as good as it did to have Chloe's hand doing magical things down there. And the track star honestly thought she wasn't being that loud, but she must have been loud enough to cause Chloe to quickly bring her free hand up and cover the brunette's mouth.

"Sh, sh, shh– Becs," she quietly whispered, "I'm gonna need you to stay quiet. Okay?" And Beca didn't know why, but she found herself getting even more turned on by the gesture, strangely finding the entire moment really, _really,_ hot.

Beca nodded her head in understanding and Chloe smiled, removing her hand and replacing it with her soft lips; kissing her tenderly. The redhead sighed into the kiss and resumed her previous actions, curling her hand over Beca's womanhood and feeling the girl jerk beneath her. It took the track star a few more slow and steady strokes for her to get use to the new sensation, but once she did, Beca was finding it more and more difficult to stay quiet.

She turned her head to the side, shoving her face into the pillow and releasing a much delayed groan. Chloe couldn't help but giggle.

"You're doing great, baby."

And okay, the pet name was _so_ not helping the strong pressure building up inside of Beca. She whined as the cheerleader picked up her pace, and the track star couldn't believe she had waited this long to get to this point with Chloe. It was one of the best moments of her entire life.

The redhead was thrilled to see her girlfriend responding so well to her touch, but she knew she needed to step it up a notch if she wanted Beca to reach that oh so glorious finish. Without missing a beat, Chloe moved her hand up and swiftly snuck it beneath the brunette's underwear, gliding her fingers through the track star's slick folds and making the skin to skin contact for the very first time.

Beca had to bite down on the pillow to muffle her sharp moan and then turned her head to gaze back at the redheaded cheerleader.

" _Oh my God_ , Chlo," she quietly panted, her cheeks flushed and bits of her hair sticking to the sides of her face. She wrapped her hand around the back of Chloe's neck and pulled her down into a rough kiss, snaking her tongue inside and swallowing the throaty groan that escaped the ginger's mouth.

Chloe then began to quicken her pace, focusing her fingers on pressing tight little circles against the brunette's throbbing clit, and Beca could swear the entire room was spinning. Her squirming and writhing were becoming erratic, so to help keep her as still as possible– which probably wouldn't really be that much– Chloe tightened her grip on the brunette's waist and aggressively rocked her hips into her hand, adding nothing but pure ecstasy to the amount of pleasure the track star was already receiving.

Beca's eyes fluttered shut and her head suddenly became to heavy to hold. She dropped it back onto the pillow, exposing her neck and breathing a chuckle when she felt the redhead's mouth against it in an instant. Chloe licked and nipped at the skin, careful not to leave a mark, but enough, when combined with her hips and her hand, to finally push Beca over the much longed for edge.

The track star's mouth hung open in a silent moan as her body arched off of the couch and tensed as her climax poured it's euphoria all through her veins. She grasped onto Chloe's hair as the highest peak of her orgasm lasted it's few seconds, then loosened her grip when it gradually started to decline and ride itself out.

Her body began to ease, and Beca's throat finally felt like it was opening up. She moaned out the breath she didn't realize she was holding, but was quickly silenced by her girlfriend's lips colliding with hers. Beca whimpered into Chloe's kiss, her body jerking every so often as the redhead slowed the pace of her fingers to augment her ride down from her high.

After the brunette finally relaxed and evened out her breathing, Chloe removed her hand from her womanhood, prompting Beca to open her eyes and look at her. The track star was met with a brilliantly pure smile that made her heart swell with affection, and dazzling blue eyes that were looking at her like nothing else existed.

"Hi," Chloe whispered, brushing some of Beca's hair out of her face.

The track star smiled back, "Hi," and pulled her in for a slow and lazy kiss.

Once they separated, they shifted their positions on the couch until they were sitting comfortably next to each other. Beca leaned her head on Chloe's shoulder, and Chloe lazily stroked her hair as they sat in a peaceful silence for a few moments.

"Wow..." Beca said with a sigh, her mind still trying to register the experience of having her first real orgasm. And although the track star couldn't see it, the corner of Chloe's mouth curved up into a soft grin. She placed a kiss on top of Beca's head, then continued to enjoy their silence.

Nothing else really needed to be said at this point. They had just taken a huge step deeper into their relationship and both girls couldn't have been happier. It was a moment they had always fantasized about, including Beca, but neither of them expected it to be as remarkable as it had been.

Chloe eventually started to hum when she felt the brunette's breathing slowing against her in slumber. She gently laid her head on top of hers, and allowed the track star to sleep for a while, understanding how tired she must have felt. It wasn't until Chloe started to feel her eyelids getting heavier that she decided to call it a night. She really didn't want to wake Beca, but knew she had to in order to get her upstairs and into bed.

"Becs..." Chloe whispered, gently shaking the brunette's arms, "Beca."

The track star slowly opened her eyes, taking a second to adjust, then turning her head to look at the redhead.

"Chlo?" She asked, groggily.

And Chloe smiled, "Hey, sleepyhead."

Beca let out a yawn as she started to sit up and stretched her slightly sore neck to the side.

"Come on," Chloe continued, standing up and holding her hands out so Beca could grab them. "It's time to get you in bed."

The track star looked at her lazily and took her hands. The surge of energy it took for her to stand up was enough to remind her of what had just happened moments ago and she widened her eyes a bit.

"Wait," she said, and Chloe looked at her confused.

"What?"

"We can't go to bed yet."

Her statement did nothing to clear up Chloe's confusion and she quirked an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"Because," Beca started, sleepiness evident in her hooded eyes and in the way she drew out the word, "I'm suppose to take care of you now."

It took the cheerleader a few seconds to fully understand what she meant, but she smiled sweetly when it finally registered, appreciating her girlfriend's effort.

"Aw, Becs, it's okay." She said, lacing their fingers together and placing a kiss on her cheek. But the track star shook her head.

"No it's not. That's not fair."

Chloe couldn't help but snicker at Beca's adorableness as the brunette stood there literally pouting about not being able to "return the favor."

"Beca, honestly, it's totally fine." She reassured, resting her forehead on hers, "And don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to _take care of me_ in the future. I promise." She grinned at her girlfriend and placed a kiss on her pouting lips.

Beca made a disapproving face, but could feel her exhaustion getting the better of her, and she knew if she were to try and please Chloe now, she probably wouldn't do a good job.

She sighed when she finally gave up, "Fine," she muttered, then lifted her hand up to point at her, "But next time you're not even touching me until I get to pleasure you first."

A laugh escaped the redhead's lips, Beca was just too cute when she was sleepy.

"Okay," Chloe managed between chuckles, "Deal."

With that, the girls cleaned up their snacks and made their way back up stairs. After taking a detour to the kitchen to throw away their trash, they quietly walked up the stairs and into Chloe's room, careful not to wake her parents.

Chloe giggled when she mentioned that this would be the first time they sleep together and Beca tittered in amusement as she settled herself under the covers. Chloe easily got comfortable next to the brunette and suddenly asked,

"So are you the big spoon or the little spoon?"

Beca looked at her, "Uhh, I've never really spooned with anyone before."

"Oh..." Chloe said, slightly surprised, but then she smiled widely, "Well can I be the big spoon then?"

And how could Beca say 'no' to that beautiful face?

She smiled softly, "Sure," and Chloe quietly squealed with glee.

"You're so weird," Beca chuckled, turning to her side and feeling the redhead's arm immediately wrapping around her.

"Thanks," Chloe said, and Beca could practically hear the broad smile in her voice. Once Chloe found a comfortable spot for her other arm, she lightly tugged at Beca, snuggling closer to the track star and burying her face into her soft brown locks.

"Goodnight, Beca." Chloe mumbled into her neck, and the brunette couldn't help but smile.

"Goodnight, Chloe."

Beca wasn't usually the type to snuggle or spoon with anyone, but being wrapped up in Chloe's embrace just felt so _good_. It felt, right. Like Beca had finally found her home and never wanted to leave. She never thought she would ever meet someone who could make her feel this way. This...safe. And she was going to have thank her lucky star one day for granting her the opportunity to meet this wonderful person.

She sat awake for a little while longer, thinking about the wonderful night she had and how amazing it was to finally take that leap of faith with Chloe.

The redhead must have assumed she had fallen asleep by then, because breaking the silent air was a quiet, _"I love you,"_ being whispered into Beca's neck, and the brunette widened her eyes in shock, feeling her chest suddenly tighten as the compelling words sank into her heart.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: ... So that happened!**

 **Anyone enjoy those little** **shoutouts I threw in there? x)**

 **You guys should come follow me on Tumblr! URL: not-so-average-fangirl**

 **I post excerpts and sneak peeks of future chapters, so you guys should definitely go check it out. ;)**

 **Thank you guys so much for reading my story and leaving your wonderful comments. You guys are amazing! :)**

 **Stay tuned for more!**


	22. I Think I Love You Too

**Author's 1st Note: ...I'm ashamed at how long it has taken me to upload this chapter. I am so sorry for the long wait, but thank you guys so much for being such loyal readers and baring with me.**

 **And as I've mentioned before, I will NEVER abandon this fic. The updates may take a while, but I WILL finish this story eventually. That I can promise.**

 **Also, most of this story has been written from Beca's point of view, so I decided to write this chapter a little more from Chloe's.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy! :)**

* * *

"Beca…"

Chloe was lying on her side, smiling at the sleeping track star and admiring the way the sunlight was highlighting her soft features. When Beca didn't respond, Chloe extended her pinky and tickled the tip of her nose.

"Beca," she said a little louder, giggling at the way the brunette's face twitched at the light touch. But she still wasn't getting up, and as much as Chloe would have loved to just lay there and watch Beca sleep, she really wanted to spend the day going out and doing other fun things with her instead.

Chloe gently shook her shoulder, "Come on, Becs. It's time to get up." The brunette finally seemed to respond to her voice and furrowed her brow as she slowly opened her heavy eyes. Beca was met with the grinning redhead and couldn't help back smile back in return.

And Chloe's stomach fluttered. The small moment was sweet and wonderful. The way Beca's disheveled hair was scattered across the pillow and carelessly– yet perfectly– fell around her face. Her cobalt eyes were clouded with apathy, but shined like the toothy grin spreading across her face. It was a moment Chloe decided she wanted to relive every single morning if she could, and realizing that the possibility of that wasn't completely impossible, made her body feel warm.

"Hey, Chlo." She furrowed her brow at the sound of her groggy voice and cleared her throat. "That's attractive."

Chloe grinned, "Doesn't bother me." To prove her point, she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Beca's lips. "Good morning."

And yeah okay, this was definitely something Beca could get use to.

"Morning," the still hazy brunette smiled. She could feel her body buzzing, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was from being in a hypnagogic state, or if it was because of the way Chloe's eyes were sparkling with the morning sunlight. Wether it was one thing, or wether it was both, Beca felt like she was on Cloud 9; rising from her heavy body and drifting away to a carefree land where it was just her and Chloe, and nothing or nobody else.

And then suddenly, while gazing and getting lost in the clear oceans that flooded Chloe's eyes, Beca had a striking urge to speak; To convey three little words that, when said together, created the most powerful and metamorphic phrase in the universe.

And then she remembered.

Remembered the way that very phrase was hushed so quietly into the back of her neck the night before; the way it made her stomach sink and her heart swell until she felt like she couldn't breath. Beca knew Chloe hadn't meant for her to hear it, but how was Beca suppose to survive the day with her girlfriend if she had such a weighted confession swimming around in her brain.

Chloe noticed the shift in Beca's eyes when the brunette retreated to the conflicting thoughts in her mind. Her usually steely blue eyes grew dull and almost lifeless as she stared monotonously at the redhead. It was like Beca wasn't even there and it worried Chloe.

"What's wrong?" She asked tentatively, almost scared to find out what had caused such an unexpected physical change in the brunette.

It took her a moment, but Beca eventually came through and blinked her eyes back to normal, earning a small sigh of relief from Chloe.

"W-What?"

"I said what's wrong?" Chloe repeated, still searching the brunette's brimming eyes, "It looked like you went somewhere for a second. You okay?"

And Beca knew this was it. She had to tell her. If she couldn't even hold back her expressions for a few seconds, how was she suppose to act normal around Chloe the rest of the day? The redhead knew her well enough by now to know when something was wrong, something Beca appreciated, but at the moment kind of resented.

She had to do it now.

"U-Um…" Beca looked down, hoping the next step she was about to take wasn't going to end in flames. "I uh–" And she shook her head before managing to look back up at Chloe uneasily, "I heard you…last night."

And at first Chloe was confused, not knowing exactly what she meant by that.

"You heard me doing what?"

Beca shook her head and breathed a small laugh, partly finding Chloe's obliviousness amusing, but also pretty nervous about the whole thing in general.

"No, I didn't hear you _do_ anything," She clarified, "I heard…" And she hesitated. She took in a breath and licked at her bottom lip, trapping it between her teeth and chewing on it before finishing, "What you said to me."

Chloe tilted her head to the side, still trying to understand what Beca was talking about and why she seemed so nervous about it. But it didn't take long, and when the redhead finally realized what she was implying, her eyes immediately widened in fear.

"Beca–" Panic washed over her in a flash and she quickly sat up, "Oh my gosh, listen, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were awake."

"Chloe…"

The cheerleader was too occupied with her hurried apology to hear her and she shook her head, words flying out faster and faster as she spoke.

"And even if I did, I didn't mean to rush anything or make you feel uncomfortable. Or–"

"Chloe."

She dropped her face into her hands, "Oh my gosh, I'm so stupid! I can't believe I say that to you. I can't–"

 **"** **Chloe!"**

The ginger snapped her head up, Beca's elevated voice finally catching her attention.

"Will you just stop for a second? Listen to me."

It took everything Chloe had to keep herself from speaking any further and she pressed her lips together as her eyes began to gloss; one tear involuntarily releasing itself from it's hold.

"Hey, don't cry." Beca reached forward and brushed the small tear off of her girlfriend's flushed cheek, calmly sitting back down to look at her. "Listen, Chlo…you don't have to apologize for what you said to me. Okay?" The flustered redhead only stared at her as Beca continued. "I don't want you to."

There was a brief silence then, their eyes doing a better job of speaking words than their mouths. And Chloe was searching Beca, diving into her steel blue orbs in search of a much needed answer. Was she really implying what Chloe thought she was?

"Bec…" The brunette lifted her hand, signally Chloe to hold off on talking just a little bit longer.

"Look this is really, _really_ hard for me to say, so just– hold on for a second, okay? Please?"

Chloe had never seen Beca so conflicted and yet consent before. She could see an inner struggle erupting behind her dark eyes, but Beca moved and spoke with a calmness that Chloe wasn't sure was for hers or Beca's sake.

The track star let out a breath, "After I heard what you said to me last night, I couldn't fall asleep right away. I waited about fifteen minutes before going to your bathroom to just sit in the dark and think." She struggled to maintain eye contact with the redhead, and despite Chloe's urge to say something comforting, she new she had to just let Beca say whatever it was she needed to say.

"I thought about a lot of things. About all of the people who have hurt me before and how it changed me." Chloe noted the way Beca began playing with her thumbs and could tell it was a sensitive topic for her to talk about. "I stopped trusting people. Every time I met someone new I was always on edge with them." She shrugged, "I would play it off with sass and sarcasm, but, no one really knew I was just doing it because I was afraid of getting close to people again."

There was another moment of silence as Beca kept her head down, her eyes focused on her hands, but Chloe had a feeling she wasn't finished and continued wait.

Beca eventually shook her head, "And then I thought about you." She looked up at Chloe with watery eyes, still fidgeting with her fingers, but maintaining a strong gaze. "And I realized that from the very first time that I met you, I never felt like I had to run away. I don't know why or even how to explain it, but being with you always just felt…safe."

Her words were triggering the return of Chloe's tears, but this time, it wasn't out of fear or sadness, but happiness.

"I never thought I could feel that way again with anyone." Beca looked up at the ceiling in thought, "God, I just feel **so** comfortable with you." She fisted her hands as she explained, like she was trying to physically show how she felt around Chloe. She looked back down at the awing ginger. "I never feel like you're going to judge or criticize me no matter what I do." Beca breathed a small chuckled, "And I will never understand how someone as amazing as you could ever feel that way about someone like me." Chloe softly smiled back at her, thinking about how impossible it was for her to feel any different.

"But I'm not going to question it anymore and I don't want this feeling to ever go away. I'm just going to thank my lucky star for your very existence in my life." A smile began to creep on her lips, "Chloe…" Then she reached forward to interlock their fingers together, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that–" And the redhead could feel her body tensing with anticipation. "I think I love you too."

To say that Chloe simply reacted would be an understatement. Because she didn't just react, no. Her entire being lit up like the Fourth of July as the words washed over her like an emotional tidal wave. Her heart became heavy as it swelled with joy and she could feel every nerve in her body surging and tingling with vitality. She felt like a freshly sparked flame; free and heated, and alive. It was one of the most intense feelings she had ever experienced and although her insides felt like they were throwing an internal party, her exterior remained frozen in place.

"Um, Chloe? Are you oka–Mmh!"Beca was delightfully cut off by the harsh press of Chloe's lips on hers. She smiled and instinctively tangled her hand in fiery locks as Chloe began to pull her closer.

The redhead was overwhelmed with her emotions, desperately moving her mouth against Beca's and sharing a kiss that had much more meaning to it than any of their previous ones. This one was different. This kiss was filled with an absolution that neither girl had expected to reach so remarkably soon.

And perhaps to some people, saying "I love you" so early on in their– still hidden– relationship, might have been considered rushed or insignificant. But at this point neither girl really worried. They knew how they felt about each other and they knew how much meaning was put behind those three little words.

This was something real.

Chloe sighed a quiet moan when Beca slipped her hand around her waist and tugged her even closer. Their kiss was growing unexpectedly heated and Beca used her grip on Chloe's hip to press her against her thigh. The friction made Chloe gasp and she grinned at the smirking brunette before reattaching their mouths and rolling her hips against her.

It didn't take long for Chloe's hand to find it's way underneath Beca's t-shirt, and the brunette shuddered as it glided it's way up, eventually cupping her soft breast. Chloe swallowed the moan that escaped Beca's lips as she kneaded and massaged her, causing the track star to buck her hips forward and move in harmony with Chloe's steady pace.

If finally saying "I love you" to each other was a contract, then what they were doing now was the final signature sealing the deal. After paying a graceful amount of attention to Beca's heated chest, Chloe's hand began it's descent downwards until the tips of her fingers reached the brunette's waistband, but Beca quickly reached down and stopped her.

She shook her head, "No." And at first Chloe was hurt, confused by the rejection, until she found herself swiftly being pinned to the bed; the track star smirking down at her as she straddled her waist. "My turn."

Chloe grinned and wrapped her hand around Beca's neck, pulling her down into another kiss. She pressed their foreheads together when they separated and held her girlfriend's gaze.

"Go ahead."

With her permission, Beca gave a quick nod and kissed her again. She removed her mouth and continued down to her jawline, trailing wet kisses until she reached just below Chloe's ear. The ginger's reaction was instantaneous and she writhed, pleasure shooting through her body as Beca's tongue traced obscure patterns over her soft skin.

Chloe instinctively brought her hand up and tangled her fingers in the track star's brown hair. She held her in place, not hard enough to forcefully keep her there, but just enough to let Beca know that what she was doing was perfect. The brunette grinned at this and gently bit down, provoking a pleasurable hiss to release itself through Chloe's gritted teeth.

"Ugh, Beca…" The redhead whined as Beca then removed herself from her neck, but before Chloe could complain, Beca looked down at her heaving chest with desire and slowly snaked her hands up and under her shirt. Chloe let out a shaky breath as her cool touch continued it's journey upward, leaving goosebumps wherever her fingers made contact.

Up her abdomen, across her ribs, then ultimately around her breasts as Beca filled her hands with soft flesh and kneaded at a teasing pace that was driving Chloe wild. It certainly wasn't the first time Beca had touched her this way, but Chloe's body never seemed to get acquainted with the feel of Beca on her, and every time was like the first; new and exciting, exhilarating all of her senses at once and intoxicating her with everything that was Beca. It was a thrilling sensation that was rapidly becoming Chloe's favorite addiction.

Beca reconnected their lips and was quick to claim Chloe's mouth for her own, swallowing soft moans of appreciation as she hungrily licked and explored her girlfriend's mouth. And Chloe knew this fiery side of Beca existed all along, simply being hidden by her insecurities and fear. All the track star needed was the right push at the right time, and Chloe was happy to know she was the one to give it to her.

The soft rock of Beca's hips began to increase in pace and she ground down harder when Chloe responded by latching onto her bottom lip and nibbling as she gazed into dark orbs. Beca was silently asking for one last approval which Chloe didn't hesitate to grant with a nod.

With that, Beca lowered her mouth to reattach to the ginger's exposed neck and caressed it with her tongue as her hands began to drift from their current position down to Chloe's midriff. Chloe's eyes fluttered shut in anticipation and her back slightly arched off the bed when the tips of Beca's fingers slid past the waistband of her pants.

"Chloe?"

The girls froze at the sound of Chloe's mother knocking at the door but Beca was quick to come out of the shock and swiftly flipped back over to her side of the bed, panicky covering herself with the blanket.

"You girls awake?"

Chloe pulled down her lifted shirt and shifted around until she too was casually under the covers. She slowed down her breathing and composed herself before answering.

"Y-Yeah, mom. You can come in." She briefly glanced at Beca who was already looking at her and the look they shared was a diverse one; fearing the idea of getting caught, but also holding back a laugh at the thrill of it all.

The door finally opened and Claire greeted the flustered pair with one of those stunning Beale smiles.

"Good morning, girls." Claire said, leaning into her hand that remained on the doorknob. "Just letting you know that breakfast is almost finished. You girls can come down and grab a plate when you're ready."

Chloe was much better at fooling her mother and her smile was much more convincing than Beca's sheepish one.

She sat up, "Okay! Thank you. We'll be down in a bit."

"Okay," Claire smiled and shut the door behind her as she left.

Chloe let out a breath she hadn't realized she was even holding and dropped back down onto the pillow. She stared at her ceiling for a second before looking over at Beca. Their eyes were still in shock, but matching grins crept upon their lips and the two shared a nervous, yet relieved laugh.

"Oh my God," Chloe chuckled, moving to lay on her side so she could properly face Beca, "That was scary."

The track star did the same, "Yeah, I'll say. Is that what a heart attack feels like?" She jested, gripping her chest and making Chloe laugh.

"Yeah, probably." She leaned forward, "But I'm glad you survived." And captured the brunettes lips again in a tender kiss.

Beca was instantly brought back to her previous daze and her eyes were half lidded with a goofy grin plastered on her face.

"Me too."

The sound of Chloe's stomach growling is what breaks the moment this time– a much better sound than that of Mrs. Beale's knocking– and both girl's eyes shoot down to the culprit before igniting another laughing session.

"Someone's hungry," Beca teased.

And Chloe reached down for her stomach, scrunching her nose.

"Maybe a little."

Beca snickered and took her side of the covers off so she could get up. She stood at the side of the bed, facing Chloe and smiled as she extended her hand.

"Then let's go get some breakfast."

* * *

Breakfast with the Beales' was just as enjoyable as dinner had been with them. Nice conversations exchanged with smiles and a bit of laughter whenever Chace and Chad decided to join in. Chloe sat across from Beca this time and found herself admiring the younger girl, awning at how beautiful she was even first thing in the morning and glad to see her fitting in so well with her family. It was everything Chloe had hoped would happen, and she couldn't have been happier.

* * *

After breakfast, Chloe convinced Beca to let her take her out around the town so she could grow more familiar with the area. They got dressed together in Chloe's room, occasionally stealing glances at each other as they did and finding the atmosphere much more comfortable than the girl's locker room. And after a bit of protesting from Beca, the track star eventually gave in and let Chloe pick their first destination; the downtown mall.

"For the record," Beca started, unbuckling her seat belt after they parked, "I hate shopping."

Chloe chuckled, "I know, but I promise to buy you ice cream when I finish getting the green spanks I need for cheer."

Beca narrowed her eyes and held back a smirk, "Fine."

They exited the car and made their way into the Burlington entrance. As they walked side by side, Chloe had to continuously fight a strong urge that itched at the tips of her fingers. What she would give to be able to hold Beca's hand in public was more than she could give. She wanted to let everyone know that Beca was hers and proudly show her girlfriend off.

But she couldn't. At least, not yet. And that was something Chloe just had to accept.

But she wasn't going to let the unfortunate truth bring her down. No way. She had an entire day to spend with Beca, and she wasn't about to waste it.

Chloe smiled as she guided the track star through the store, stopping at the sports section to see what they had for sale. She casually walked down the colorful isle, her eyes shifting as they searched for what she was looking for.

"Don't you already have spanks?" Beca asked from behind, following her girlfriend's lead.

Chloe kept her eyes moving as she replied, "Yeah, but I only have one pair and they're already kind of old. I'd like to have another pair for– Ooh!" She spotted a few hanging together in a row and picked out the only two green ones they had. She made a face as she held them up in front of her. "These don't really match Barden's color, huh?"

Beca squinted her eyes and tilted her head to the side, "Mmm, no, not really."

Chloe pouted to herself, "Shoot." And hung them back up on the rack, "It's okay. I know where I'd have better luck finding them anyway."

Beca quirked an eyebrow, "Where's that?"

"Sport's Chalet. It's on the first floor." She looped her arm around Beca's and smiled, "Let's go."

And okay, locking arms was a pretty decent substitute for hand holding. In fact, Chloe might have actually liked it better. Sure it wasn't as intimate as hand holding was, but walking this way required more contact between them, and that was all Chloe really wanted anyway. So her smile widened and she nuzzled herself even closer to the track star.

They had parked on the second floor, so Chloe took the opportunity to show Beca around the mall as they continued down to the first floor. They made a quick detour to a gum ball machine Chloe had spotted, eventually switching flavors when Chloe purposely mentioned that yellow was her favorite. Beca playfully shook her head at the redhead's puppy eyes but didn't really mind the switch. Ironically, blue was her favorite flavor.

After a few giggles and poppings of each other's bubbles, they arrived at the Sport's Chalet and Chloe knew exactly where to go to find what she was looking for. It didn't take long before she found a pair that matched Barden's color perfectly and she gleed, thankful that she didn't have to torture Beca with anymore shopping.

After the purchase, Chloe stayed true to her word and took Beca to a Diary Queen located by the food court. She scanned the menu for a few moments and ultimately went with a Snickers blizzard. Beca on the other hand had her eyes set on an Oreo one, and Chloe had to bite down on her red spoon to keep from giggling at how adorable she looked when the woman behind the counter handed her the sweet treat. Beca really did love ice cream.

Chloe suggested they walk around the mall a bit longer, not wanting to drive and eat ice cream at the same time. She tried it once the year before, and well, let's just say she ruined her favorite shirt and no longer carries a rabbit's foot on her key chain…

They held regular conversation as they walked and Chloe couldn't help but revel in the moment. Even if they couldn't be affectionate, spending some quality time with Beca was good enough for her. The day was still amazing. It was just her and Beca and–

"Chloe?"

 **Aubrey.**

The redhead recognized her best friend's voice instantly and quickly spun around to greet her.

"Aubrey, hey!" She instinctively reached forward and brought her in for a hug.

Beca had eventually turned around as well, spoon held in her mouth, and she smiled sheepishly at the blonde, who was already eyeing her with an imperceptible look.

"What are you doing here?" Chloe asked when they separated.

"I'm here with Stacie." Aubrey said, "We were going to invite you, but–" Then her eyes shifted back to the brunette, "I guess she was right when she said you already had plans."

Chloe recognized her unsettling tone and furrowed her brow in confusion. She thought Aubrey was okay with Beca now. Wasn't she? Why wouldn't she be?

"Aubrey? What's wrong?"

The blonde seemed to snap out of whatever reverie she was in and plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Nothing." And before Chloe could press any further, she quickly ended the conversation. "So, I've gotta get back to Stacie, but um, I'll text you."

Chloe reached for her friend again, "Aubrey, wait–" But the blonde just backed away.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Chloe stood there befuddled and somewhat hurt as she watched her friend get further and further away. She didn't understand what could have been wrong, and it stung to realize she didn't even want to talk to her about it.

"Does she seriously hate me that much?"

The question brought Chloe back from her thoughts and she looked at the brunette.

"She doesn't hate you." And that was true, or so Chloe hoped.

"Well, she definitely doesn't like me."

It was a little surprising to hear a bit of hurt in her voice when she said that. Chloe thought Beca didn't care about Aubrey's opinion of her. But maybe she did.

"Oh, Becs," She said, gently rubbing her back, "Don't worry about her. She'll come around. She's just–" And there really wasn't a good enough word to describe Aubrey, but the best Chloe could come up with at the moment was, "complicated."

Beca snickered, "Believe me, I know."

Chloe smiled at the return of Beca's snarkiness and decided she didn't want to spend the whole day worrying about Aubrey's discordant behavior.

"Alright, well, as soon as I finish this," she started, reinserting her spoon into her blizzard, "We're going wherever you want to go." And then her smile widened when the brunette's infectious grin made her heart flutter. "Sound good?"

"Sounds great."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Damn, Aubrey. *sings* _Why you gotta be so ruuuuude?_**

 **Follow me on Tumblr! URL: not-so-average-fangirl And look out for sneak previews I post before the chapter updates. ;)**

 **Love you guys!**


	23. Punishment

**Author's 1st Note: Alright guys, let me just begin by explaining why my updates are taking so long. I just got a new job at the beginning of this month and I'm literally working 5 days a week from the early morning** **until late at night. I've only been having like 15 minutes worth of writing time a day, so I've gotten to the point of continuing my story on my phone during my work breaks. lol Every little bit helps!**

 **So again, I apologize for the wait and thank you all so much for bearing with me and staying around to read my story. You guys are the best.**

 **Thanks again! And I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)**

 **P.S. If you haven't heard the song "Grind On Me" by Pretty Ricky yet, I recommend you hear it before starting this chapter. (You'll find out why as you read)**

* * *

It was Monday morning and even after spending the entire day before with Chloe, Beca was more than eager to see her favorite redhead again. She got up as soon as her alarm went off and hopped off the bed, hurrying herself to get ready, since she had made a bet with Chloe the day before that she could get to their school before her.

After changing her clothes and brushing her teeth, Beca quickly packed her bags, grabbed a packet of PopTarts from the kitchen, and bolted out the door. She checked her phone and grinned, silently congratulating herself for making it out in less than twenty minutes.

* * *

As she walked onto the empty track, Beca pulled out her left earbud and scanned the area around her.

"Chloe?" She called out, and when there was no answer, she fist pumped, "Yes!"

Beca was thrilled to have won the bet and pulled out her phone to take a picture of the track with the morning sun rising behind it. She uploaded the photo to Chloe's text window and was just starting to type out a sarcastic message when–

" _ **Boo!"**_

Beca screamed as hands gripped around her waist from behind. She felt a rush of panic wash over her until she quickly spun around and recognized familiar blue eyes and fiery red hair.

"Dude!" Beca yelped, her eyes wide as she panted and gripped her chest, "What the hell!?"

Chloe couldn't stop laughing, "Oh my God, Becs. You should've seen your face!"

Beca was still trying to calm herself but narrowed her eyes as a small smirk started curling at the corner of her mouth.

"Yeah, laugh it up, Beale." She said, crossing her arms and taking a confident stance, "But I won the bet." Chloe's laughing subsided, but a wide smile still remained on her face, making Beca nervous. "What?"

Without saying a word, Chloe took out her cell phone and selected her photo album app, pulling up a video and pressing 'play' as she stood behind Beca, holding her phone out for the both of them to watch.

The footage was shot from the front camera and began with Chloe standing in front of her locker, her face already sporting a victorious smile.

" _Good morning, babe."_ Chloe greeted, switching the phone to her other hand, finding the new angle much more appealing, _"If you're watching this, then that means you lost the bet and I'm using this video to prove that I was actually here before you."_ She lifted the camera towards the school clock, revealing to Beca that she was in fact there fifteen minutes before her. _"It's five fifty, and you are no where to be found."_ Chloe brought the camera back down to her face, _"Looks like you lost this one, Becs."_ She moved in closer, _"Maybe you'll get the next one."_ And the video ended with one of her enticing winks, that even through a screen made Beca's insides tingle.

"You were saying?" Chloe teased, snapping the track star out of her stunned state.

"How the hell did you get here so early?"

Chloe shrugged, "I wanted to win the bet." She loved the way Beca then narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms again, but this time it wasn't out of confidence, but instead playful annoyance.

"Fine, whatever. What do I have to do?"

It should be noted that when they had placed the bet the night before, neither girl really pegged a certain "punishment" for the loser. Instead, they agreed the loser would simply have to do whatever it was the winner wanted them to. No circumstances.

A predatory smirk curved on Chloe's lips, making Beca go weak in the knees and she gulped when she said,

"You'll find out after our workout."

The wandering thought of what Chloe had in mind haunted Beca as they ran. She couldn't focus on anything else, having to apologize a few times for missing whatever it was Chloe decided to talk about as they continued loop around the track.

When they finished their last lap, Beca's curiosity only intensified and although she knew Chloe most likely wouldn't give her s alright answer, she still had to ask.

"Alright, Beale," Beca panted, still trying to catch her breath, "what is it I have to do?"

Chloe had her hands on her knees and her head dangled from exhaustion. It took her a moment before she stood up to look at Beca, sporting one of her enticing grins.

"Patience is a virtue, Becs."

The track star scoffed at her answer and rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Chlo? How long are you gonna drag this out?"

The grin suddenly disappeared as the redhead's mouth slightly opened in surprise at her irritated tone. She briefly tilted her head to the side before deciding to step directly in front of Beca, their noses practically touching.

"Hey," Chloe firmly started, " _you're_ the one who lost the bet." She said, poking the wide eyed track star's chest to emphasize her words, "So now, _you're_ the one who's gonna deal with the punishment." She fisted the front of Beca's blue t-shirt and pulled her in for a short, but determined kiss. Chloe wanted to smile at Beca's doe-eyed face when they separated, but she was enjoying her dominant act way too much and wanted to milk it for as long as she could.

Chloe kept her grip on Beca's shirt, "Now stop complaining and follow me to the locker room." She let go of her grasp and started walking toward the building doors, leaving a stunned Beca behind her, until the younger brunette eventually snapped out of it and jogged to catch up with her.

* * *

They entered the locker room in silence and Chloe continued her way to her locker as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Beca kept her eyes locked on her girlfriend, following the ginger's actions with a nervous curiosity.

Chloe could feel her intense gaze, and without looking back at her simply said, "Relax, Becs." She pulled out some clothes from her duffle bag, "Just get your stuff ready for your shower."

Beca was suspicious of Chloe's nonchalant tone. She had seemed so persuasive just moments ago, but now she was calmly taking her time, making Beca very, _very_ nervous.

But despite the warning signals blaring in her mind, the vigilant brunette did as she was told. She pulled out her towel and change of clothes from her bag and shoved everything else back into her locker. She scooped up the items and took a step towards the showers, but froze when she looked up and saw Chloe just standing there, smirking at her.

"Uh…Chlo?"

The ginger didn't reply with words, but instead brought a hand up and curled her pointer finger, beckoning the track star to follow her. Beca felt her throat constricting and swallowed hard to make sure it still worked. She followed Chloe into the next room, her mind running back and forth with many different scenarios of what was about to happen next. And though out of the thousands she came up with, Beca hadn't been expecting Chloe to ask her to,

"Strip."

Beca blinked, "I'm sorry, what?"

And Chloe grinned, "You heard me."

Beca was only slightly taken aback. She couldn't help the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks, but overall, she found the punishment to be amusing. Of course Chloe would ask for a strip tease.

The track star snickered, "You want me to strip for you? That's my punishment?"

"Well, part one of your punishment."

The minor grin that was inhabiting Beca's face fell, "Wait, part one? Since when are there more parts to _**one**_ punishment?"

Chloe approached her and grasped onto the back of her neck, pulling her in for another kiss, revealing in the control she currently had. The kiss was slow, Chloe's tongue gently teasing against Beca's until she pulled away before the track star had a chance to really get into it.

"Since I said so."Chloe said, bitting her bottom lip and smiling at the small whine Beca elicited when they separated. She took a step back, "Complaining?"

And it was then that Beca realized the slight role playing Chloe was continuing to portray. She had to admit, she was actually kind of enjoying it… like a lot.

With her brows raised, Beca pressed her lips together and slowly shook her head.

Chloe grinned, "Good." The redhead then backed up until her rear came into contact with the sink counter. She gripped the edge and hoisted herself up, leaning back and crossing her legs as she waited for Beca to begin.

It took a second for the brunette to understand the cue, but when she did, she snickered, shaking her head.

"I can't believe you're making me do this."

Chloe shrugged, "Maybe next time you won't lose."

Beca expressed a smile like Mona Lisa and held up her middle finger, making the ginger laugh. She placed her towel and clothes on a nearby bench, then smirked one last time before crossing her arms and hooking her fingers under her shirt.

"Wait!"

Beca stopped halfway, "What?"

Chloe held up a finger and picked up her phone. She quickly skimmed through it while Beca wondered what she was doing, until "Grind On Me" by Pretty Ricky suddenly started playing.

"Seriously?" Beca muttered, the tiniest grin threatening to tug at the corners of her lips.

Chloe smirked, "You lost, Becs."

The track star rolled her eyes, secretly pretty into the idea of giving Chloe a strip tease, but refusing to let the redhead know.

And if it were any other person, Beca would have **never** been okay with being so exposed and vulnerable with them. But this was Chloe. And more importantly, this was _her_ Chloe. The one and only person in the entire world Beca felt like she could be herself with and know it was okay. She would do absolutely anything for her. And if at the moment a simple strip tease was what she wanted, then a strip tease was exactly what she was going to get.

"You're so never winning again."

Beca finally accepted the terms of her punishment and was more than okay with playing along and having a little fun with it. She waited a few more bars until the first verse started, then Beca smirked as she tugged and lifted her shirt over her head, adding a slight body roll as she brought it back down.

The light blush on Chloe's cheeks and clouded gaze in her eyes served as a confidence booster for Beca. It was empowering to know she had that kind of affect on her. Beca grinned as she dropped the shirt to the ground, really getting into the music by adding another body roll as she glided her hands down to the edge of her sweat pants.

She dipped her thumbs into the elastic, reveling in the way Chloe's eyes were locked on her hands, then slowly pushed down. Chloe's mouth parted and dropped little by little the lower Beca's pants got. It wasn't until the track star's smug face lowered enough to make eye contact with her that Chloe snapped out of her daze.

"My eyes are up here, Chlo."

The redhead blinked and shook her head, "What?"

Beca smirked, her brow quirked, and Chloe was quick to jump back into their little game.

She sighed, "I'm sorry, Beca, but I can't help it. You're just–" Her eyes dropped, blatantly raking back up her figure, " _Really_ fucking hot."

Beca faltered at her strong choice of words, suddenly loosing her balance and tripping forward, but luckily catching herself before she completely toppled over. She stared at her, mouth open and brow furrowed.

Chloe giggled, "What? You think you're the only one who can curse?"

Beca was still gapping, frozen in an awkward, hunched over position, still gripping onto her sweatpants as her brain processed her initial shock.

"N-No, I mean, I've just never heard you swear before." The corner of her mouth curved up, "Not bad, Beale."

Chloe smiled and hummed acutely, proudly accepting the compliment. Beca shook her head in amusement.

 _This girl is something else._

Hearing the main chorus preparing to repeat itself, Beca quickly fell back into her previous performance and finished tugging her pants the rest of the way off of her feet. She stood up and snapped her head back to Chloe, timing her dramatic moves with the melody and making the redhead giggle when she swung her pants around before tossing them to the side.

Beca's actions had been fluid and confident the entire time, carelessly putting on a self-assured display, that is, until she realized all she was left in now was her sports bra and underwear. Although Beca had already been stark naked in front Chloe countless times before, this had been the first time she was deliberately putting her goods out there for show. And the unwanted reminder made her tense on the spot.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe eased, reading her girlfriend's uncomfortable body language, and slightly leaning forward to bring the distance of their eyes that much closer, "it's just me."

The soothing sound of her reassuring voice overpowered the music and immediately registered in Beca's brain; reigniting her confidence and pushing the last bit of self-consciousness away.

Beca smiled, "Thanks, Chlo."

And the ginger returned the expression, "Anytime, babe."

Without anymore hesitation, Beca re-crossed her arms and swiftly pulled her black sports bra over her head, leaving her breasts exposed and feeling a brief chill tickle her spine as her revealed skin adjusted to the cool shower room air.

"Are you cold?" Chloe chuckled, eyeing the brunette's chest, "Or are you just happy to see me?" Beca looked down to meet her gaze and couldn't help but slightly blush at the way the tips of her mounds were hardening. She looked back up, expressing a falsely annoyed look.

"Ha, ha." She rolled her eyes at the playful teasing, then sparked an idea.

Beca used the rhythm of the music to time her drifting hands as they made their descent down to the elastic of her underwear. She watched the way Chloe's eyes followed her and grinned when the ginger pulled her bottom lip between her teeth to chew on it in anticipation.

"Go ahead, keep making fun of me, Beale. My hands are gonna stay right here."

Beca's challenge immediately caught the cheerleader's attention and her crystal eyes snapped up, tilting her head in surprise at her girlfriend's protest.

"Oh come on, Beca. You know you like it."

Beca shook her head, "Nope. Apologize for making fun of me, or these–" She pulled on elastic and snapped it back, "stay on."

Chloe scoffed, "You can't shower in your underwear, Becs."

And Beca wasn't sure where her new found boldness was coming from, but she loved the way her blood rushed as she and Chloe continued their little game of power. Who was going to give in first? And who was going to come out with the control?

Beca smirked, "Watch me."

Chloe's mouth dropped in a surprised grin and she stared at the track star for a moment before reaching over to pause the music that was still playing on her phone. Without any hesitation, she hopped off the sink and approached Beca, noticing the small gulp she swallowed, but deciding to keep it to herself.

She stopped mere inches away from Beca's face, "Take them off," she demanded, her alluring tone causing the track star's breath to falter. But Beca maintained her strong stance, and dropped her head back to match the redhead's tenacious eyes.

"No."

There was a moment of silence then, their eyes searching each other's for any sign of faltering. But then Chloe suddenly broke the building tension when she leaned back, the intimidating smile spread across her face making the brunette's skin shiver with goosebumps again.

"Fine," she said, swiftly reaching forward and gripping onto Beca's hips, pulling her flush against her and making the track star gasp. "I'll do it myself." Chloe wasn't graceful as she slipped past the elastic and was actually kind of clumsy when she pulled the garment down.

Refusing to grant Beca any time to process everything, Chloe quickly stood back up, dragging her hands up against Beca's skin and bringing her in for a passionate kiss.

Beca couldn't think but was thankful her natural instincts kicked in and took control of her limbs for her. The feel of Chloe's slick tongue against hers jolted Beca back to life and she eagerly grasped onto the cheerleader's shirt, separating for a moment to pull it up and over her head.

"Mm, Beca…" It was barely a whisper, but it was enough to spur Beca on.

She reconnected their mouths, keeping one hand clenched in Chloe's hair, while the other made it's way down to her shorts. Hesitation was no longer present in Beca's being and she was surprisingly quick to rid the cheerleader of her colorful bottoms.

Chloe struggled to keep their lips attached as she fumbled to step out of the tangled mess around her ankles, but she ultimately succeeded and tugged Beca back to her, kissing her hard and drawing a muffled moan out from the back of her throat.

Despite being totally engulfed in the lascivious moment, a sudden reminder crossed Beca's mind.

"Hey, wait a second." Beca leaned away from Chloe and held back a chuckle at the way the redhead chased her, "What was part two of my punishment?"

Chloe looked at her for a moment, before an all too familiar smirk reappeared on her lips.

"Well…" she said, crossing her arms to pull her sports bra off. Chloe held the hot pink material out in front of her,"Now that you asked…" and dropped the undergarment, grinning when Beca instinctively caught it.

"You," Chloe continued, confidently slipping out of her underwear and reveling in the way Beca's eyes followed her. "Are going," she said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Beca's chest, "to shower," and gradually pushed her back until she gasped when she made contact with the cold tile, "with me."

Chloe finished her sultry pursuit with hooded and clouded eyes, and a grin that made Beca tremble. Chloe leaned forward, feeling the track star's chest brushing against hers as her breathing heightened in pace, and purred, "You okay with that?"

It was impossible for Beca to speak any kind of comprehendible sentence, so to answer her girlfriend's racy question, she closed the little bit of space left between them and slipped her way inside Chloe's mouth, claiming it as her own. Chloe moaned as Beca's hands began to wander, gliding over her smooth skin with purpose as they memorized every dip and curve that sculpted her perfect figure.

"I'll take that as a yes," Chloe breathed, taking a brief moment of separation to reach behind Beca and turn the shower head on.

And despite Chloe turning the knob in the "hot" direction, it took a moment for the water to warm up and the sudden splash of cool water made Beca jump.

"Ah!" she yelped, making the redhead giggle.

"Sorry, babe." Chloe pulled her girlfriend closer to her with a smile and reached for the back of her hair. She gently tugged the ponytail holder until her brown locks were free and fell perfectly over her shoulders. "Better?"

Beca dropped her hands down to her lower back and brought her even closer still, "Much." She planted her lips against Chloe's and took a step back, using her grip on the cheerleader to pull her under the running water with her. She could feel Chloe giggling against her and couldn't help but reciprocate the laughter, letting the warm water splash and trickle down their hair.

Beca smiled, "Maybe I should lose more often." And granted yes, they were both naked and pressed very closely to each other in a shower, but Beca was more playful about the whole situation and not really taking it anywhere else until Chloe suddenly smirked and slipped her thigh between Beca's, making the track star twitch.

"Yeah," she grinned, pressing a little harder, "maybe you should."

Beca breathed a short laugh, "You know, as much as I love this," and in one swift motion she spun them around, pinning her girlfriend to the tile wall and boldly switching their positions so that she was now pressing against her. Beca leaned in, "I do believe I owe you this time."

Chloe smiled genuinely, finding the eager track star both alluring and cute at the same time.

"Becs, you don't have to keep score." The brunette didn't listen and instead moved in to nibble on Chloe's neck, causing a gasping moan to break out from the back of her throat. Chloe tipped her head back, granting the track star more access and decided to just shut up and let Beca have her fun, which turned out to be a great decision.

Beca took advantage of the gesture and flattened her tongue against her sleek skin. She dragged herself up from the dip of Chloe's collar bone, to the curve of her defined jaw, and Chloe was becoming less and less capable of containing the little noises that continued to enforce their will to be heard.

Chloe tangled her fingers in Beca's wet hair and held her in place as her hips began to rock to a slow pace. Beca released a shaky breath at the feel of Chloe's slick thigh rubbing against her and began to suck on her neck a little harder, her hands wrapping around the cheerleader's backside to press their pelvises overwhelmingly flush against each other.

"Oh, Beca…" Chloe moaned, and the way her name sounded on Chloe's tongue only urged Beca on. Her mind became clouded with lustful thoughts and the only thing she could focus on was the way Chloe's leg came up and wrapped around Beca's hip, their wet bodies continuing to firmly writhe against each others.

But this wasn't about Beca. Not this time. This time, it was about Chloe and making her feel as good as she made Beca.

The track star kept her hold on the redhead as their grinding only increased in pace. And despite Chloe clearly enjoying it– her quiet moans persistently slipping out and the almost reckless motion of her hips being evidence of that– Beca wanted her to feel more. She **deserved** to feel more.

Beca captured her lips in a passionate kiss, channeling her desire in the push and pull of her tongue, but reluctantly breaking away before they could get carried away.

This was about Chloe.

"I-I want to touch you," Beca panted, gazing hard into her girlfriend's eyes and waiting for the permission she knew she already had.

Chloe blushed, her movements stilling, despite her chest uncontrollably continuing to heave.

"Then touch me."

The words made Beca's stomach churn and twist in a knot. But it wasn't because she was nervous. No, Beca had thankfully moved on from that irritating phase. This time, the fluttering in her stomach and the tingling in her veins was coming from pure and utter excitement.

This was it. She was finally going to do it.

Beca nodded her head and dropped her eyes before looking back up and lunging forward to kiss her again. Chloe eagerly kissed her back and lowered her leg from it's previous position so Beca could get to the place that was just _**aching**_ to be touched.

Beca brought a hand back around to Chloe's front and separated from the kiss to look at her, her hand gradually getting lower and lower until–

"Chloe?"

The girls froze at the familiar voice echo through the locker room, their eyes widening.

"Chloe, you in here?"

Beca's jaw dropped in a frustrated huff and she glared up at the ceiling in annoyance, "You've gotta be fucking kidd—"

Chloe quickly covered her mouth with her hand, silencing her.

"Aubrey!" Chloe clamored, poking her head out of the curtain as her hand continued to hold Beca back. She could see her best friend by her locker and smiled nervously when she caught her attention.

"There you are." Aubrey said, but as she started making her way to the shower stalls, Chloe glanced over at the scattered clothing, which was luckily being concealed behind the wall, but if Aubrey came in any closer, Chloe knew she and Beca would be busted.

"Wait!" Chloe suddenly exclaimed, starling the blonde, "Don't come in here."

Aubrey stopped, but quirked an eyebrow, "What? Why not?"

"Um, th-there's a um–" Chloe had to think fast, "There's a rat running around here!" Perfect. "Yeah, I uh, saw it before I came into the shower."

Aubrey made a disgusted face and Chloe was relieved she seemed to have bought it, "Ew…"

Chloe nodded, "Yeah, it's pretty gross."

Behind the curtain, Beca was growing tired of having her mouth covered, so she stuck out her tongue and dragged it up the redhead's hand.

"Anyway!" Chloe yelped, jerking her hand away but forcing herself to stay focused on Aubrey, "What's up? What are you doing here so early?"

Aubrey uncrossed her arms then, her entire posture seeming to soften as she sighed, "I came to apologize."

"Apologize?" Chloe tilted her head to the side, confused, "For what?"

Aubrey leaned against the wall, "For what happened at the mall yesterday. I know I wasn't the _nicest_ person to Beca yesterday." And the hidden brunette rolled her eyes at that, "So I just wanted to explain myself and say that…" Aubrey closed her eyes, "I'm sorry."

 _"Get rid of her,"_ Beca whispered, but Chloe only swatted her away.

"Aww, Aubrey," She smiled, feeling her heart swell with joy, knowing very well that Aubrey wasn't usually the "apologetic" type.

But Chloe couldn't stay focused on the tender moment when she suddenly felt Beca's fingers sneakily inching their way closer and closer to her lower region, and she squeaked at the unexpected contact.

"What?" Aubrey asked, curiously, and stood back up.

Chloe swallowed, "N-Nothing!" Then she took a moment to pop her head back into the stall. _"What are you doing?!"_ She whispered, glaring at Beca, who's only response was a mischievous smirk. _**"Stop,"**_ Chloe mouthed, the fear of getting caught rising by the second.

"Is everything okay in there?" Aubrey asked, bringing Chloe's attention back to her. The redhead extended her arm to keep Beca away and poked her head back out of the stall to smile at her best friend.

"Yeah, totes." Beca pushed Chloe's hand out of the way, "The water just–" and snaked her way down to Chloe's inner thigh, "s-suddenly, got really–" And then without any further warning, Beca finally took the bold step and drifted her hand lower, cupping her girlfriend for the very first time, **"COLD!"**

Chloe's unexpected, high pitched cry made both girls jump, and it took every last bit of Chloe's will power to keep her attention on Aubrey, who was now even more concerned than ever.

"Okay, are you sure you're alright in there?" Aubrey asked, taking a few steps forward.

"No!" Chloe extended a hand, stopping her friend in her tracks, but then shook her head, "I mean, yes! It's just–" And she swore she was going to kill Beca, who was bitting down on her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing out loud as she kept her hand still, but added a torturous amount of more pressure.

Chloe gritted her teeth for the slightest moment as she took in a breath, "The water keeps turning cold on me. Can you just wait for me by the bleachers, please? I'll be out as soon as I'm done. Okay?"

Aubrey didn't know what to make of her best friend, but it was way too early to get into this amount of weirdness. Plus she hadn't even had her morning coffee yet to help kick start her day. So no, she was just going to let this one slide this time.

Aubrey narrowed her eyes, "Uh, okay… I'll see you out there."

Chloe waved her goodbye and plastered a strained smile across her face as she watched her leave. The second the locker room door closed, Chloe jerked the curtain back in place and gawked at the laughing track star.

"Man," Beca chuckled, wiping a fake tear from her eye, "you're good. I don't think I could have held myself together like that."

And Chloe wanted to be mad. She really did. But then again, how could she be? This was Beca Mitchell she was dealing with. The stubborn, sarcastic, adorable, track girl she was in love with, who only moments ago had her hands on her in a way that made Chloe feel like she was on fire.

So she couldn't be mad. That was impossible.

But she _could_ be just as cruel.

"You're gonna regret that," Chloe said, her voice firm, but a smile toying on her lips.

Beca shrugged, "I'm sure you'll get over it." She took a step forward and looped her arms around the cheerleader's waist, bringing her closer, "Besides," she said, returning to her previous seduction tactics by gliding her hand over Chloe's skin and bringing it back around to her front, "don't you want to finish what we started?"

And _**God**_ was it hard for Chloe to resist Beca. She had yearned for this for so long and to have it finally happening was beyond a dream come true. But Beca had to learn, and besides, this _was_ her punishment after all. And it was the perfect time to fulfill it.

Chloe bit down hard on her bottom lip and forced herself to reach down and stop Beca's hand from descending any lower.

"Nope."

Beca's face fell and she looked at her confused, "What do you mean nope?"

"I mean," Chloe smiled, pushing Beca's hand away and turning to let the water flow over her hair, "I have to go talk to my best friend now, and if I stay in here for too long she's going to ask more questions."

Beca rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, Chlo. We had a good thing going." She tried to reach for Chloe again, but the ginger stepped back.

"Ah-ah," she teased, waving a finger back and forth, "This is _your_ fault. So now, _you_ can deal with the consequences."

Beca couldn't believe what she was hearing and breathed a whine, hunching forward in disappointment.

"Dude, are you serious?" Chloe hummed, her face under the water and Beca crossed her arms, "So in the end I'm literally getting punished?"

The redhead moved out from under the water and wiped her face, smiling, "Yup."

And boy was it irritating for Beca to be so in love with this girl. She peeked her tongue out and shook her head, refusing to show the small amused grin that was threatening to appear.

"Unbelievable."

This girl was going to be the death of her.

* * *

After finishing a regular– boring– shower, no thanks to Beca, the couple got dressed together, but eventually parted ways so they wouldn't be seen leaving together. Chloe exited through the locker room door, while Beca waited a few minutes, and instead, walked out of the shower room door.

The track star took out her phone and plug in her earbuds as she made her way to the main quad. There was some last minute homework she hadn't quite finished during the weekend and figured she could just rush it before class started.

There were a few students already wandering around and as Beca approached the main tables, she smiled when she recognized one of them working on what looked like some last minute homework of his own.

"Hey," Beca greeted, pulling out one of the earbuds as she sat down across from him, "What are you doing here so early?"

Jesse looked up from his paper and greeted, "Mornin', Becaw." And by now Beca had learned to brush off the slightly annoying nickname, "I had to makeup a test for Mr. Shaw's class."

"Oh, how was it?"

Jesse shrugged, "Eh, I think I'll get a B." Beca snickered and he went back to writing on his paper, "But yeah, I got here pretty early."

And Beca could have sworn she sense and strange little hint of _something_ in his last comment, but she decided not to look too much into it.

"That sucks."

And then Jesse suddenly looked back up, "What time did you get here?"

His tone was friendly, but Beca still couldn't figure out why her gut was starting to tingle with a warning like sensation.

"Oh, I've been here since like six." And she didn't know why, but she felt like she had to explain herself even though Jesse didn't even ask, "I like to run around our track before school."

Jesse's brows rose and he nodded, "Oh, nice. That's cool." And once again his focus fell back down to his paper, "I always walk by that area when I get here since the parking structure is right next to it."

Okay, Beca didn't like where this was going. His tone would have been normal to anyone else listen, but Beca knew, she just _**knew**_ there was something else there. And the thought alone made her nervous.

"Oh, uh, yeah? That's uh– that's cool?"

Jesse simply hummed and nodded in response, keeping his eyes focused on his paper.

Beca sat there in silence as a few awkward moments passed, but after the unusual growing tension, Jesse finally looked back up and sported a playful, yet distressing smile.

"So how was your shower with Chloe?"

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Oh fuck.**


	24. Busted

**Author's 1st Note: Eek, another long wait. I'm so sorry guys. :(**

 **Also, please forgive me for any grammar mistakes. I didn't have the time to re-read this chapter and half of it was written on my phone. :P**

 **Either way, hope you enjoy it! :D**

* * *

As Chloe made the treacherous walk to the outdoor bleachers, her mind brimmed with carefully chosen answers she thought would perfectly answer any questions Aubrey would potentially ask. And with every step she took, Chloe could feel a weight in her chest tightening with guilt.

Aubrey was her best friend. They knew everything about each other, and the thought of having to lie to her to keep a very important part of her life a secret, twisted Chloe's insides. She hated having to lie to Aubrey. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right.

But Chloe had no other choice. Unfortunate circumstances molded the regrettable decision and now Chloe was left stuck with no right way to turn.

What was she suppose to do?

She stepped onto the track and smiled when she spotted blonde hair sitting in the third row.

"Okay!" Chloe grinned, "I'm done now."

Aubrey glanced up at her, "Took you long enough."

Chloe's nose crinkled, "Sorry," and she took a seat next to her best friend, "Had to wash my hair."

After putting her binder back into her bag, Aubrey looked at her watch.

"I was suppose to meet up with Stacie in the computer lab, but I'll just tell her to start without me."

"Oh," Chloe said, watching the blonde send a text message to their other friend, "You guys got paired up for a project or something?"

Aubrey shook her head, "No, she's actually helping me with my science project." She sent the message and snickered before leaning in closer to Chloe, "Don't tell my dad, but Stacie's honestly the only reason I'm passing AP Physics."

They shared a short laugh and for a moment it was as if nothing was wrong. But then there was a sigh that served as a reminder as to why they were sitting on the bleachers in the first place, and Chloe looked at her best friend with patient eyes.

"Listen, Chlo," Aubrey started, her usual assertiveness absent, "I haven't been a very good friend to you lately and I wanted to apologize for that." Chloe softened at her gentle tone and reached forward to place her hand on hers.

Aubrey looked down and briefly smiled before sighing, "You know I wasn't exactly Beca's biggest fan when she first came to this school. And at first I thought maybe you were being nice to her because she was the new girl or whatever, but–" She hesitated and shook her head, looking as if she experienced a short flashback, "I never thought in a million years that she would end up becoming your _new_ best friend."

Her choice of words stung and tugged at Chloe's heart.

"And I guess, what I'm trying to say is that," Aubrey shrugged when she looked up at Chloe, "I feel like I've been… replaced."

Chloe could feel her eyes welling with tears and she blinked to let them fall. She reached forward and pulled her friend into a tight embrace, burying her face into her shoulder.

"Aw, Aubrey. I'm so sorry!" Chloe separated but kept her hands on her shoulders, "I never meant to make you feel like Beca was replacing you. She could _never_ replaceyou." She smiled reassuringly, "You're my best friend."

Aubrey dropped her head, "I know, I know. But it was like when I saw you at the mall yesterday with her and you were _clearly_ having a good time without me," she shook her head, "I don't know, it was like the little green monster of jealousy came out in me and I couldn't help but get upset about it."

Chloe sat back a bit, slightly tilting her head with soft features as she took in the very first moment she had ever seen Aubrey so vulnerable.

Aubrey was always so head strong and confident. She was Chloe's rock when she needed a solid foundation to stand on, and Aubrey always picked her up whenever she was down and couldn't do it herself. They had been best friends since elementary school and knowing she had made Aubrey feel like she was being replaced almost made Chloe spill the beans right then and there.

Almost.

"Aubrey," Chloe started, holding the blonde's hands, "I feel terrible for making you feel that way. I can't tell you how sorry I am for that. But I'm also really glad that you came and talked to me about it." She squeezed her hands, earning a small smile and a nod.

"But you know what? You're right. I have been spending a lot of time with Beca lately–"

 _Even though its because she's my new girlfriend and I've totally been loving every minute of it…_

"So how about we hangout tonight? Hm? Just you and me."

Aubrey's smile widened and she nodded a little more vigorously, "Okay, yeah." She let go of Chloe's hands in favor of bringing her in for a warm hug. But as they sat there enjoying their touching moment, Chloe couldn't help but hear the lingering bit of guilt pooling in the back of her mind.

She still hadn't told Aubrey the truth about Beca.

* * *

The track star wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there frozen in place with her eyes wide, jaw dropped and her chest slightly heaving as her mind processed the brash question Jesse had asked her.

And it seriously didn't help that her neighbor was sitting there patiently with his chin propped on the base of his palm, clearly amused and enjoying the small panic attack Beca was experiencing.

"I'll take that as pretty mind blowing?"

Beca blinked an unnecessary amount of times as she came back to the real world.

"W-What?"

Jesse chuckled, "I knew there was something going on between you two, but I wasn't really sure until I saw you guys kiss on the field this morning."

And Beca had a million responses and questions running through her brain, but for some frustratingly stupid reason, the only word she was capable of verbally speaking was,

"What?"

"Oh, come on, Becaw!" Jesse chuckled, "I saw you guys! After you finished running you two were like talking for a second and then Chloe randomly grabbed your shirt and kissed you."

The memory of that exact moment flashed through Beca's mind and she couldn't help but feel vulnerable and exposed. That private memory was suppose to be shared between her and Chloe _only._ And the thought of someone else now being apart of their secret world made Beca sick to her stomach.

Jesse giggled a bit as he continued, "And I gotta say, the way you ran after her to the locker rooms was pretty priceless."

"Stop."

It was quiet, almost inaudible, but Jesse had heard it, and the playful grin that was curved on his lips slowly began to fall.

"Sorry, did I saw something wrong?" Jesse asked, concern suddenly placing his perviously teasing tone, "I didn't mean to make you upset, I was just kidding around."

Beca wasn't even looking at him, her eyes darting from side to side as she carefully thought about what she was going to say next. Jesse was beginning to worry when the she didn't respond right away, but Beca then looked back up at him and he waited

"Jesse, listen to me," Her voice was firm, but her eyes failed to conceal a hidden fear, "you can't tell _anyone_ about what you saw today, okay? Please?"

Jesse furrowed his brow, "What? Why not? I think you guys make an awesome couple! How long have you and Chloe been dating?"

"Shhh!" Beca reached forward a clasped a hand around his mouth, quickly looking around the quad to make sure no one heard him. "Jesse, seriously, you don't understand." She released her hand and slowly sat back down, making sure he wouldn't shout anything other ruinous comments.

Jesse thankfully remained silent, simply watching the brunette with a puppy like curiosity.

Beca sighed, "Look, things are just…" she searched for the right word, " _complicated_ right now, and we promised each other that we wouldn't tell anyone about our relationship. Okay?" Beca deflated a little at the bitter reminder and softened her voice, "At least… not yet."

Jesse titled his head and took in a breath, but paused and squinted his eyes as the wheels in his brain processed her confession.

"Okay…" Jesse said, eventually, "I know it's none of my business, but like, why _wouldn't_ you guys wanna tell people? Shoot, if I was dating **either** of you girls, I would be shouting it from the rooftop!"

Beca scrunched her nose at the thought of Jesse dating either of them and crossed her arms. Jesse had a point, why _were_ they even keeping their relationship a secret? Beca squirmed in her seat, finding herself uncomfortably stuck when she realized she didn't really have a good answer for it.

Beca shook her head, "I don't know, like I said it's just…"

 _Stupid, pointless, annoying, irritating–_

"Complicated."

* * *

After the first period bell rang, Chloe and Aubrey walked to their classes together. They took the time to catch up on some things they had missed about each other recently and Chloe thankful she was able to restore her neglected relationship with her best friend.

She dropped Aubrey off at the computer lab and made her way to her Economics class, which Chloe was sure she would have been failing if it wasn't for her fellow cheer member, Flo, giving her her notes to copy off of.

As she walked, Chloe would occasionally acknowledge and wave at friends that passed her. But just before Chloe could turn into the next hallway, the sight of a familiar, tiny little brunette, caught her eye.

Chloe could see Beca down the opposite way, chatting with Jesse as they approached Beca's English class, and Chloe found it almost impossible to not smile.

It was funny how just the quickest glimpse of the track girl would light up Chloe's insides. She knew she loved Beca– there was no doubt about that– but it really was incredible for Chloe to think about just how **much** she really loved this girl. Beca was so different than Chloe's previous ex-boyfriends.

And granted yes, being in a relationship with a girl was already very different than being in a relationship with a guy– although that one girl Chloe had experimented with once at her summer camp two years ago was a pretty good taste at the experience– But being with Beca was just, **different**.

She couldn't peg exactly what it was about Beca that just, **enthralled** her so much. Chloe loved everything about Beca. Even the little things. Things that Beca probably wasn't even aware of herself.

Like how her tongue would peek out when she focused really hard on something. Or the way her eyes would twinkle whenever she talked about track. Chloe noticed these things and marked each one in her brain, storing them away and adding them to the very long list of things she loved about Beca.

The track star hadn't noticed her girlfriend down the hall, occupied with her conversation with Jesse, and entered her classroom once they reached it. Chloe waited until she was all the way inside before sighing another smile and continuing her way to her Economics class.

Chloe always missed Beca the second she was gone and when she sat down in her seat, Chloe couldn't help but look at the clock. Only three more periods until she could see her track star again, and she knew the time would go by faster if she kept herself occupied.

"Good morning, Flo." Chloe smiled, greeting her foreign friend as she plopped down next to her.

"Morning, Chloe!"

"How was your weekend?" The Guatemalan dropped her bag to the ground and took out her binder as she spoke,

"Nothing special." She shrugged, "Just had to help my brother bury a large bag in our back yard…"

Chloe blinked. Flo was so nonchalant, she couldn't have seriously meant what it sounded like. Either way, Chloe decided it was best to just pretend like nothing happened.

"Oh," she chuckled nervously, "okay…" Chloe looked back at the clock and saw that only a minute had passed, and she sighed. Looked like time was going to go a lot slower than she was hoping.

The passing of time was no issue for Beca however, her racing thoughts doing a great job of keeping her busy. She thought about Jesse and how he not only knew about her and Chloe, but also what he had said about them keeping their relationship a secret.

Beca realized there wasn't really any point in keeping it hidden anymore. It started as a defense mechanism of some kind, protecting them both from what others would say or think. But it had already been two month, and when Beca thought about, since when did she even care what other people thought about her?

She loved Chloe. She was sure of that now. And what she was also sure of was that she wanted everyone else to know it too.

Beca was ready. She had been ready before she even knew she was. But this wasn't just about her. Beca was going to have to make sure Chloe was ready too.

* * *

Cooking finally came around and both girls couldn't wait to see each other's faces. Beca had gotten there first, as usual, and tapped a rhythmic tempo on her notebook as she waited for her girlfriend's arrival.

Beca had kept her eyes so focused on the door, that she hadn't noticed Amy trying to get her attention.

"Oye, short stack!" Beca jumped a little and finally looked at the Aussie.

"What?"

"I promise ginga' is goin' to show up, but in the mean time, mind lendin' me a pencil? My chinchilla ate mine ova' the weekend."

Beca blushed at Amy's first comment and really didn't feel like arguing the obvious accusation, so she ignored it.

"Sure," Beca replied, opening her bag and handing a lead pencil to her blonde friend.

"Hey."

Beca instantly recognized the voice coming from her left and snapped her head over to the source, accidentally dropping the pencil in the process.

"Awh, man," Amy muttered.

"Hey, Chloe." Beca smiled, oblivious to Amy struggling to reach the abandoned writing utensil.

Chloe chuckled and bent down to help the Aussie out.

"Here you go, Amy."

"Thanks, Chloe." Amy breathed, sitting back up and straightening her t-shirt out.

The cheerleader smiled and hummed in response, taking her seat next to Beca just as the bell rang.

"Always on time," Beca smirked, earning a snicker from her girlfriend.

"Hey, still counts."

Ms. Gail started the lesson but Beca couldn't fully pay attention. She knew she had to talk to Chloe. Luckily they were going to be working in the kitchen, and as much as it pain Beca to be patient, she waited until Ms. Gail dismissed them to their stations to finally confront what had been gnawing at her the entire time.

Chloe took out a mixing bowl and pot from under the sink and placed the objects on the counter, grinning at the track star.

"Well this should be fun," she chirped, "I've never made mac n' cheese from scratch before."

Beca managed a brief smile and nodded, breathing a short chuckle as she mustered the courage to bring up a somewhat "touchy" subject. She watched Chloe drop some ingredients into the bowl and finally took in a determined breath.

"Hey, Chlo..." She said, fumbling with her fingers, "I uh– I gotta talk to you about something."

And although her focus had been on the recipe instructions, Chloe could hear the nervousness in Beca's voice and immediately stopped to look at her.

"Everything okay?" She asked, already feeling a little worried.

Beca swallowed, "Yeah, uh, it's nothing– It's nothing bad or anything, it's just..." Wow, this was harder than Beca thought is was going to be, but she was grateful Chloe was always so patient with her. "Well, uh, for starters... Jesse sorta, kinda..." She leaned in a little closer, lowering her voice, " _knows_... About, us."

It only took Chloe a second to realize what she was talking about and her eyes widened, looking around like she had been caught steeling, even though she knew there was no way anyone else could hear their conversation.

"What!" She whispered back, not in anger, but in shock, "How did he find out?"

Beca bit the edge of her lip and her face contorted, "He… saw you kiss me this morning."

Chloe's eyelids fell and her brow creased as she released a disappointed sigh. She remembered kissing her on the track field and couldn't believe she had let herself be so careless. This was exactly what Beca told her was going to happen and now it had. Chloe felt terrible knowing she let Beca down.

Chloe reopened her eyes, "Becs, I'm so sorry. Has he told anyone else?"

The apology confused Beca, "Wait, why are you apologizing? It's your fault."

"Yes it is!" Chloe's voice slipped and was accidentally raised to just above a whisper, catching not only a few of their peer's attention, but also their teacher's, who looked up from her desk and gave them a quick disciplinary glare.

Chloe gestured for Beca to turn around with her and kept their hands occupied as they continued to speak,

"Becs, if I wouldn't have kissed you, then none of this would have happened." She shook her head in frustration, "I'm so stupid!"

"Hey," Beca said, ignoring what they were suppose to be doing in favor of focusing on her girlfriend eyes, "Chloe you're not stupid, okay? Don't ever say that about yourself. This was an accident and it's going to be fine. He promised not to tell anyone."

Chloe scoffed, "How do you know?"

"Well," Beca shrugged, "he found out I had a crush on you when I first came here and he never told anyone else about that either, so…" Chloe smiled at that and Beca couldn't help but return the expression, happy to see her girlfriend cheering up.

And then Beca hesitated for a moment, debating wether or not she should bring it up during class, but also knowing if she didn't at least mention it, it was going to drive her crazy.

"Ya know, Chlo… I've actually been kinda thinking about that." Chloe looked at her, searching her patiently, "What if, we like, decided to come–"

"Ladies!"

Beca and Chloe, along with half of the class, jumped at the sound of Ms. Gail's voice.

"If you plan on passing this class, I suggest you two stop chit-chatting and focus on your assignment."

"Sorry, Ms. Gail." Chloe apologized and turned back around.

Beca made sure Ms. Gail's went back to her paper work before quickly looking around to make sure no one was watching them. She slipped her hand over Chloe's on the counter and gently caressed her with her thumb.

"We can talk about this later."

Chloe smiled, "Okay."

And although Beca was sure no one had been watching them, Fat Amy was always good at sneakily observing the two, and she caught a glimpse at the tender gesture, her mind churning as a satisfied smirk appeared on her lips.

* * *

Once the bell rang, Beca and Chloe reluctantly went their separate ways, splitting the finished macaroni and cheese equally, but sadden by the fact that they couldn't just share the food and have lunch together.

Chloe left to meet up with Aubrey and Stacie, and Beca and Amy made their way down to the cafeteria. Before they could reach it, however, Fat Amy mentioned that she had to use the bathroom, and she somehow managed to convince Beca to go in with her.

They entered the restroom and Beca quirked an eyebrow when Amy randomly started looking under the stalls.

"What are you doing?" Beca asked, and after checking the last stall, Amy stood back up,

"Making sure no one else is in here."

Her answer did nothing to settle Beca's confusion, "Why?"

"So how long have you ginga' been datin'?

The small amount of color Beca had in her face drained in an instant. How and why was this continuously happening to her!? There was only one way Amy could have known.

"Jesse told you?!" She exclaimed, and a wicked grin suddenly spread across Amy's face.

"Nope," she said, proudly crossing her arms, "You did. Just now."

Beca's eyes narrowed and her brow creased, "What?"

"I didn't know you guys were datin'," Amy said matter-of-factly, "I just had a feelin'. I've been watchin' you two in class and when I saw what you did with her hand today, it kind of sealed the deal for me."

"Stalk much?" Beca scorned, feeling a bit invaded.

"I'm not a stalka'," Amy clarified, "I'm just a very good observa'." Her teasing smile didn't help Beca's frustration, but as much as Beca wanted to be angry about the situation, she wasn't completely surprised to find herself kind of okay with Amy knowing.

But Beca had to remember, she still wasn't sure if Chloe was okay with it.

"Alright, Amy," Beca said, giving in to the uncontrollable moment, "you got us. We've been dating for a while now, but you gotta promise me that you won't tell anyone about it, okay?"

Amy brought her hands up, "You don't need to worry about me. I'm a great keeper of secrets." She used her hand to mimic a key locking her mouth, then put it behind her to the back of her pants.

Beca watched her, confused, "What are you doing?"

"I'm stashin' the key up my bum for safe keepin'," she said, almost like it was obvious.

Beca just shook her head, unable to contain her amused chuckle, "Of course you are."

* * *

The period five bell finally rang and Beca couldn't wait to get to practice. She entered the locker room and smiled when she saw a familiar redhead already changing. There were two other girls in the same aisle, so Beca passed by her quickly, but don't hold back her hand as she sneakily dragged it across her exposed lower back.

Chloe gasped and turned her head to see Beca pressing her lips together to hold back her smirk as she worked on her combination.

"Hey, Beca." Chloe smiled innocently, making sure to sound like she just noticed the brunette.

Beca played along, "Oh, hi, Chloe." She gave her a small wave, and to anyone else in the room, they were just two girls greeting each other. But their eyes told a different story, challenging each other to keep their composures.

Beca turned back around to face her locker and knew Chloe was still watching. She lifted her shirt up at a ridiculously slow pace, making sure to flex her stomach as she pulled it over her head and off of her arms.

She continued to move at her teasing pace as she removed her pants, and it took all of Beca's self control to keep her eyes forward, making sure not to give Chloe the satisfaction of looking back at her.

Beca finished putting on her workout gear and at this point wasn't sure if Chloe had already left or not. But before Beca could find out for herself, the track star was startled when her locker suddenly slammed shut.

"That wasn't fair," Chloe smirked, folding her arms as she leaned against her locker, shooting a tingle down Beca's spine with her alluring blue eyes.

The brunette looked over her shoulder and saw that their aisle was now cleared, so she stepped a little closer, their noses almost touching.

"Yeah, well," Beca dropped her eyes, shamelessly raking them back up Chloe's body, "neither is watching you cheer in your spanks while trying to focus on the track."

The redhead giggled in response, playfully biting her bottom lip as she fought the urge to kiss Beca right then and there.

"You're not making it very easy to resist you, Miss Mitchell." Their eyes were flicking down at each other's lips almost uncontrollably, and if it wasn't for the fact that they were in school, who knows how far they could have gone.

Unfortunately the sound of Chloe's coach ringing through the locker room broke the rising tension between them and Chloe looked at her girlfriend with a disappointed expression.

"I gotta go." She gave Beca a quick peck on the cheek and turned to leave.

"Wait," Beca reached forward and grabbed her hand, stopping her for a moment, "can we meet up later after practice? We never got to finish our talk during cooking class."

Chloe intertwined their fingers, "Yeah, sure, Becs."

"Okay," Beca smiled, releasing her hand but surprising Chloe when she then unexpectedly used it to smack her behind. The redhead gasped and turned to gape at her grinning girlfriend.

"Have fun at practice!"

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Wait a second... Didn't Chloe already make plans to hangout with Aubrey after school?**

 **Awh,** **snap.**


	25. Making a Bet

**Author's 1st Note: Yikes, I'm trying to post these faster than a month at a time, but that hasn't been working out for me. Dx**

 **Don't worry though! I'm gonna keep trying!**

 **Enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

Beca walked up to the track field and found Jesse already stretching his legs by the bleachers. She joined her neighbor, lifting her foot up behind her and pulling on it to stretch out her quads.

"So how was seeing your girlfriend today, Becaw?"

Beca faltered, her foot slipping out from her grip as she stumbled forward to regain her balance.

"Jesse!" She gritted, swatting the back of her hand against his stomach and making him hunch over in pain.

"Ow!" He hollered, holding the now throbbing area, "I was just kidding, Beca! Geez, you really are violent…"

The brunette huffed a frustrated sigh. She knew she shouldn't have hit him like that, but she also couldn't have helped the instinctual reaction.

Beca rolled her eyes, "Look I'm sorry. I just–" she glanced around before lowering her voice, "Please stop mentioning it while we're at school. Okay?"

Jesse rubbed gentle circles against his stomach, still trying to soothe the previous impact, "Fine, okay. I won't."

The sound of their coach's whistle blowing startled them both and their attention was instantly shifted towards the tall man.

"Okay, my people. I want a warm up lap around the track. Let's go." The team gathered together and started their run, "Knees up, people! Knees up!"

Beca and Luke took the lead, as usual, with the rest of their team following closely behind.

"Well hey there, little bit." Luke grinned, keeping his breathing at an impressively steady pace, "And how are we this afternoon?"

Beca rolled her eyes, " _We_ are just fine," she panted, "Thanks for asking."

"Why are you panting so much? Strugglin' to keep up with the champ, are ya?"

Beca scoffed. After weeks of many practices together, Beca had somewhat grown accustomed to Luke's constant teasing; though she could still gladly live without it. And despite the British boy still coming in first during all of their practice races, Beca was still determined to beat him.

So instead of letting his provoking remarks get to her, Beca smirked instead and her cockiness exposed itself before she really got a chance to think twice about it.

"I can't wait to kick your ass on Friday."

They finished their lap just as her words settled with the blonde boy, and he looked at her in surprise.

"You're going to kick my ass?" And then an amused grin began curving on his lips, "You do realize we're on the same team right?"

A bit of panic starting igniting within Beca. She hadn't really thought about her choice of words before she blurted them out. Thankfully her quick thinking came into play and she was grateful her brain was able to come up with somewhat of a solution to her careless slip up.

"Yeah," Beca breathed, still regaining her breath, "of course I know that. I'm talking about the mile run that we do together." Her confidence was rebuilding and she straightened herself out, "I'm gonna come in first."

A few _'ooohhs'_ were heard from some of their teammates who had stopped to listen in on their challenge, Jesse being one of them.

Luke's grin didn't falter, and he stepped closer to Beca, who managed to maintain her confident stance and glared back at him.

"Is that so?"

This time Beca stepped forward, having to slightly dip her head back in order to maintain her eye contact.

"You can bet on it."

Luke's eyebrows rose, "Oh," and he crossed his arms, "well in that case lets make it a little more interesting."

The logical side of Beca's brain was telling her to back out now and just forget about it. But the side that was currently controlling her actions was on fire and continued to be fueled by her bold determination.

She mirrored his stance, "What do you have in mind?"

And after a short moment of processing, Luke smirked, "Fifty bucks to the winner."

"Woah," muttered Jesse from behind Beca, and the rest of their peers followed with their own quiet comments. But Beca wasn't even phased, and she tiptoed the last few inches she needed to solidify her attempts of being intimidating.

"You're on."

"Hey!" The students jumped as their coach approached the gathered crowd, "What is going on? Did I say you guys could take a break?" He eyed the students as they stared at him in silence.

Jesse lifted a finger to obtusely answer his rhetorical question, but–

"No! I don't think I did!" And Jesse's eyes widened as his finger slowly came back down. "Come on, let's go! You guys owe me an extra mile run at the end of today's practice."

Whines and protests rang about the group as they followed their agitated coach. Jesse and Beca went to do the same, but Beca was stopped by a sudden hand on her shoulder.

"You've got a deal, Becky."

Beca narrowed her eyes at the boy's cocky smirk and she shrugged his hand off of her shoulder.

"It's Beca."

Luke snickered and made his way to the rest of the team. Once he was out of hearing range, the realization of what Beca had done finally set in, and panic instantly flooded her veins.

"Damn, Becaw!" Jesse cheered, shaking his smaller friend in excitement, "You're my hero! You're so gonna beat his–"

"Fuck!"

Jesse jumped back, somewhat frightened by her sudden outburst, and he watched in silent confusion as Beca gripped her hair.

"What the **fuck** did I just do!?"

Jesse's brow only furrowed deeper as his mouth opened, then closed, then finally opened again to speak.

"Uhh… Is something wrong?" He asked, not expecting the tiny brunette to suddenly snap her head up at him and grasp the front of his muscle shirt.

"Is something _wrong?!"_ She repeated, "Of course something's wrong! I just challenged Luke to a race and now I'm gonna lose fifty bucks!" Beca let go of his shirt with a push and an exasperated sigh. She couldn't believe she let herself get so carried away.

Jesse fixed his collar as he continued to stare at her distressingly, "Beca, what are you talking about?"

"I'm gonna lose on Friday, Jesse! _That's_ what I'm talking about."

Jesse had never seen Beca so worked up before. It was surprising and unsettling, and he wasn't really sure how to handle it.

He shook his head, "Why would you say that? You're not going to lose. You're–"

"Of course I'm gonna lose!" Beca could hear her voice elevating, but she honestly didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to herself. She looked around and glanced over her shoulder, searching for her redheaded girlfriend and thankful to find Chloe occupied with a cheer stunt.

She turned back around to face Jesse and closed her eyes as she released an easing breath to calm herself down, "The meet is four days away," she said, reopening her eyes, "How am I suppose to beat Luke in **four** days?"

Her shoulders slouched in despair, but Jesse refused to let Beca lose her confidence so easily.

"Hey," he started, but unfortunately it wasn't the time to console her.

"Swanson! Mitchell! You guys just earned yourselves extra suicides after practice!" Their coach gestured his thumb over his shoulder, "Get over here!"

Jesse made a discouraged face, "Sorry," and Beca just shook her head indifferently. They made their way over to the rest of the team, but Jesse wanted to make sure he eventually finished what he was going to say.

Practice wasn't as fun as it usually was for Beca that day. She tried her best not to show how troubled she really was on the inside. So instead, she covered it up with a faulty smile and sarcastic comments throughout the afternoon. The occasional sight of Chloe did help her mood, however. Beca would sneak a peek at the redhead whenever she could and would smile whenever Chloe was coincidentally already looking at her.

But then Beca would be reminded of her desires to speak with Chloe about possibly giving up on their secret and finally coming clean about their relationship. She still wasn't sure how the redhead felt about it, but she hoped that she would be willing, and more importantly, be ready to tell everyone soon.

* * *

The cheerleaders finished practice before the track team, so Chloe tried to stall herself with conversations with her friends and fellow cheer girls. She had talked with four different girls, but the rest of the team had left to go to the locker room and Chloe then realized she was out of people to chat with.

She looked out onto the field, catching an unwanted glimpse of Tom practicing with the football team, and she flinched a little at the sight. Other than the occasional, awkward glances they shared in the hallways, Chloe hadn't spoken to Tom since he had hurt Beca at Stacie's party.

It's not that she had intended on leaving things unfinished between them, because honestly, Chloe was just not that kind of person. But he had been so scary and so violent that night, and Chloe's stomach would lurch every time she thought about it. So maybe sometime in the future Chloe hoped she could face her demons and finally talked to Tom about what had happened, but for now, Chloe wasn't quite ready for that.

She quickly shifted her eyes to Beca and giggled. The tiny brunette looked adorably exhausted from practice. Her flushed cheeks and messy ponytail were dead giveaways, and Chloe assumed Beca must have gotten into some kind of trouble, because as the rest of the track team headed towards the locker rooms, Beca and Jesse were being directed by their coach to walk over to the other side of the field.

Beca looked over and saw the redhead watching her from a distance. Her body sagged a little as she made a disgruntled face and she mimed the word _'Sorry'_ as she took her position on the line.

Chloe smiled and waved nonchalantly, perfectly fine with waiting a little bit longer and she leaned on a nearby wall as she watched them take off. Beca and Jesse sprinted to the closest line, reaching down and over to touch it, then sprinted back to the other side to do it all over again.

Chloe was always impressed by Beca's natural speed. She was so good it was almost scary. And Chloe knew Beca could easily out run her whenever she wanted during their morning runs, but she appreciated the way Beca would instead remain at her pace so they could run together. It was thoughtful and it was nice. And Chloe wouldn't want her mornings to start any other way.

Beca ran back and forth another five times before Chloe felt a sudden presence at her side.

"Hey!"

Chloe smiled at the familiar face, "Hey, Aubrey," and she hugged her, "What are you doing here?" Aubrey's expression fell a little, enough to jolt Chloe's memory before the blonde got a chance to speak, "Oh, right! We're hanging out today!" She reached for her hand, "I'm sorry. I didn't forget it's just–" Chloe waved her hand around non-suggestively, "busy day."

Aubrey's smile returned, but it wasn't as strong, and Chloe couldn't ignore the weighted feeling of guilt tugging at her heart because of it.

"It's okay. You ready to go?"

"Umm…" Chloe peeked over at the field and saw Beca and Jesse still persevering their vigorous punishment. She chewed her bottom lip nervously, remembering that Beca wanted to talk with her after school, but mulling over the fact that she couldn't ditch Aubrey for Beca, _again_. That just wouldn't be right.

Chloe was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"What's wrong?"

Aubrey's question snapped Chloe out of her deep pondering and she quickly turned back to her.

"Nothing!" Chloe said, and forced a masking smile, "I just need to get my stuff from my locker."

"Oh, okay." Aubrey readjusted the strap of her bag, "Let's go."

Chloe nodded and looked back to the field as she followed her friend to the locker room. Beca could feel her girlfriend's eyes on her and managed to look up in time to make eye contact with her before she entered the building. Beca furrowed her brow in confusion and shook her head, and this time, it was Chloe's turn to mouth an apology as she reluctantly made her way inside.

* * *

"Okay, guys. That's enough."

Beca and Jesse panted to a stop at the sound of their coach's command. They huffed with exhaustion as their tired legs struggled to keep themselves up, and their hearts pounded with such force that Beca grasped onto her chest to make sure it didn't pop right out of her ribcage.

"Next time you guys need to listen to me when I call you." Their coached raised a brow, "Understand?"

The teenagers, still heaving with recovery, could only manage a few weak nods in response, and with that, they were **finally** excused from their suffering. They moved languidly as they dragged their weakened bodies toward the athletic building. Jesse opened the front door but stopped Beca before she could take a step inside.

"Hey," he said, his breathing still heavy, "What are you up to now? Do you wanna hangout, maybe?" His boyish smile was genuine and persuading, and since Chloe had seemed to have left with Aubrey, Beca couldn't really think of anything else better she could do.

The track star shrugged, "Yeah, okay."

Jesse's grin widened and he held the door out even more so Beca could maneuver her way inside, under his extended arm. They entered they're separate locker rooms and although her surroundings were quiet, Beca's mind was clamorous with sudden thoughts about her girlfriend.

As she changed her clothes, Beca wondered why Chloe had left and what she was up to. She wondered how she was doing and if things were okay, so she pulled out her phone mid-change, opening Chloe's text window, but hesitating when the keyboard appeared.

Chloe was with Aubrey. Aubrey didn't know that they were dating. If Beca were to text Chloe, she worried that Aubrey would pry and unwillingly put Chloe in an uncomfortable position where she would have to lie to her to maintain their secret.

Beca didn't want to do that to her.

With a disappointed sigh, she closed out the app and tossed her phone onto her bag so she could continue changing out of her clothes.

Beca **really** wanted their relationship to be known by everyone already. At first she was surprised at how she okay she actually felt about Jesse and Amy finding out. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Granted, yes, in the beginning Beca was more than happy with keeping their relationship a secret– after all it _was_ her idea. But as time passed, Beca's desires for the truth only grew stronger and she found herself caring less and less about what others would say or think about them.

All Beca really cared about was Chloe. And although she would have never predicted it, Beca had fallen head over heels in love with the girl. She was sure Chloe knew that to be true, and she knew that Chloe did, in fact, love her back. But when Beca really thought about it, no one else knew that.

No one else knew that Beca would wake up at the butt crack of dawn with a smile on her face because she knew she would get to see Chloe's face shinning brilliantly with the morning sunrise. No one else knew that Beca forced herself to pay attention in Miss Gail's class so she could later on impress Chloe with her newly developed cooking skills. No one else knew that Beca bravely stood up to Tom and put herself in harms way because the thought of Chloe getting hurt made her physically sick to the stomach.

No one else knew just how **much** Beca loved Chloe. And the realization of that fact actually, kind of… sucked.

With a shake of her head, Beca forced those discouraging thoughts out of her mind, pulling up her jeans and buttoning them, before slipping into her black converse and heading out the door.

Beca rejoined her neighbor outside and she was glad that Jesse was always pretty good at distracting her with witty stories and dorky comments. Sure enough, as they made their way to his car, Jesse enlightened Beca of how his day had gone and how he was sent to the principal's office for inappropriate use of a bunsen burner in his Chemistry class; i.e. to roast a marshmallow.

Beca wasn't completely sure how much of that story was actually true, but then again, this _was_ Jesse she was dealing with. She chose to play along, smiling and nodding as though his words were making complete sense, and once they were in the car, Beca shook her head with amusement when Jesse didn't hesitate to start blasting and singing along to his favorite buoyant tunes.

* * *

Chloe had followed Aubrey to her house and mentally prepared herself on the way there so she wouldn't slip up and say anything _revealing_ about her and Beca. They strolled into Aubrey's bedroom, and for the slightest moment, Chloe had actually forgotten what it felt like to visit her best friend.

Chloe smiled as she took in the familiar surroundings, dropping her bag by the bed and plopping down onto it with a small bounce. She looked around the room, playing a game of 'I Spy' with herself as she spotted recognizable photos and memories of her and Aubrey from the years passed.

"Gosh, I missed this room," Chloe sighed.

Aubrey placed her keys and cell phone on the dresser, "Yeah," she said, "It missed you too." She turned to smile softly at the redhead and Chloe returned the gentle expression, regretting that she had ever hurt her dear friend, even if it had been unintentional.

"Yeah…" Came Chloe's response. She continued to simply stare at her blonde friend as an inadvertent silence suddenly filled the room. Chloe already felt bad about neglecting her best friend for the last couple of months, and feared that her time with Aubrey was going to be nothing but a handful of drawn out hours filled with a constant distant-awkward feeling between them.

Chloe did not want that to be the outcome of their time together, so as the silence continued for a few more moments, she quickly thought of other topics she could bring up to hopefully break the unwanted tension.

Luckily, and thankfully, however, Aubrey must have read Chloe's mind, because before the redhead could redirect the atmosphere, Aubrey had beat her to it.

"So," the blonde started, her tone already much more cheery than it had been the last few times she had spoken with Chloe, "What kind of homework do you have today?"

Chloe was glad to see the positive shift in Aubrey's demeanor and smiled brilliantly, sitting up straight and finding it easy to fall back into their usual "best-friend" routine.

"Let me check." She pulled out her planner and read her assignments aloud, "I have a Chemistry worksheet, some Math and I have to read a chapter of _Lord of the Flies_."

Aubrey playfully narrowed her eyes, "And by 'read a chapter', you mean reading the summary of it on Spark Notes?"

Chloe's grin was back, "You know me well," and they both shared a laugh.

"Well I have a few things I need to get done too. So.." Aubrey moved to sit next to her friend and smiled as she placed her hands on her knees, "How about I go downstairs and bring up that carton of Chunkey Monkey I have hidden in the freezer, and you and I can share it while we do our homework, hm? How does that sound?"

This time it was Chloe's turn to focus her eyes at the blonde and she leaned back, the tease of a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, "And by 'do our homework', you really mean watch _The Notebook,_ right?"

Aubrey bit her bottom lip with a grin as she nodded, and pulled them both up onto their feet, "Let's go."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Oh man. I wonder how everything's going to turn out for everyone!? (Because let's face it, I don't even know. This story just writes itself.)**

 **JUST KIDDING! I know EXACTLY how everything is going. And guys... *chews bottom lip nervously* I'm not sure on an exact number, but I do know that this story will be finishing up in the next few chapters... Just a heads up...**

 **If you'd like to read preview excerpts on upcoming chapters, come follow me on Tumblr! URL: not-so-average-fangirl**


	26. A Solution and a Struggle

**Author's 1st Note: Can I first just say how proud I am of myself for writing this entire chapter on my phone app? Like, seriously. This whole chapter was written during car rides, breaks from work and some restaurant dining.**

 **Also, I'm very happy I was able to get it done before another month went by! Yay!**

 **Oh, and also, also, I wanna give a quick shout out to acawiedersehen on Tumblr for drawing me some AWESOME fan art for this story! I just posted her work on my blog, so if you'd like to check it out, my URL is: not-so-average-fangirl**

 **Now without further ado, (I say that a lot), here is chapter 26! Enjoy!**

* * *

The following morning was similar to how the rest had begun. Beca awoke to the sound of her alarm and quickly packed her bags before heading to her school. She found Chloe already waiting for her on the field and greeted her girlfriend with a tender morning kiss.

"Good morning, babe," Beca grinned, slipping her hands around the redhead's waist and pulling her closer.

"Ooh," Chloe purred, draping her arms over Beca's shoulders and snaking a hand behind her neck to tangle her fingers into her hair, "Calling me babe so early in the morning?" Chloe hummed and brought their faces even closer, "You must have missed me."

Beca's eyes fell to her girlfriend's lips and she smiled, "I did." She closed the remaining space left between them and kissed her again, taking her time to show Chloe just how much she missed her. Beca easily slid her tongue inside and quietly moaned when Chloe languidly massaged her back.

Beca tightened her grip around her girlfriends hips as the kiss deepened, their mouths moving with more force and purpose. But before Beca could get out another appreciative moan, Chloe unexpectedly separated herself.

"Wait, Beca," Chloe breathed, taking a step back and moving her hands out from her brown locks.

Beca blinked at her curiously, "What's wrong?" she asked.

Chloe looked over her shoulders and Beca's face fell when she instantly recognized the look on her face.

Chloe was afraid someone would catch them.

The redhead took a few more moments to scan around the premises, then finally turned back around to face a slightly disappointed Beca.

"Sorry," Chloe said, "Wouldn't want another 'Jesse' incident to happen again." And despite her innocent tone, Beca internally cringed at the way she emphasized the situation. She knew Chloe was only trying to protect them, and she knew Chloe wasn't trying to purposely hurt her in anyway. But hearing those words said out loud almost made Beca feel like maybe she was some kind of embarrassment.

And perhaps those were just her still lingering insecurities coming out, but even so, she could still feel them affecting her, wether she wanted them to or not.

"Yeah..." Beca drawled. She could feel the back of her neck heating up, so she brought a hand up to rub against it, hoping it would help ease the burn, "About that…" she continued, "I've actually, kind of been wanting to talk to you about–"

"Shit!" Chloe suddenly exclaimed, startling the brunette as she quickly took out her phone, "Damnit," she huffed.

Beca looked at her confused and found herself asking for a second time, "What's wrong?"

Chloe sighed and shook her head, her eyes still focused on the phone screen, "Nothing. It's nothing. I just remembered I have to make sure to get to my first period earlier today because I needed help with the assignment we're working on in class."

Beca just watched as Chloe groaned to herself and sagged her shoulders. She put her phone back into her pocket and looked at Beca, "Sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to interrupt you. What were you saying?"

Beca hesitated for a moment, debating wether or not she wanted to get things off her chest now, or later. She knew Chloe had to get to her class early and she didn't want to be the reason her girlfriend was late. So, without really having much an option, Beca chose to just save it for some other time.

Beca shook her head and half-shrugged, "It can wait. Let's just get our workout in so you can get going."

Chloe smiled brightly, "Aw, okay," and placed a kiss on Beca's cheek, "Thanks, Becs."

Beca's smile was tight and coercive, but she followed her girlfriend to the end of the track and forced herself to ignore the way her chest was tightening with repression. Instead, Beca kept her focus on the amusing stories Chloe wanted to share about the fun things she and Aubrey had gotten to do the day before.

She talked about how she had missed her best friend and how great it was to have gotten the chance to mend things with her. But Chloe wasn't aware of how distracted Beca actually was as they ran. The track star couldn't get her mind off of her desire to have a serious talk with Chloe and hope to find out that, she too, was ready to come out with their relationship.

They cut their routine short in favor of getting Chloe to her class on time, and despite Beca never once complaining about it, Chloe knew that Beca was sacrificing some pretty important practice time. Especially since her first track meet was only a few days away.

Chloe took out her phone and checked the screen. She calculated an estimate of how long it would take her to get ready and determined that she would still have enough time to make it even if they stayed on the field for another ten minutes. So with the new discovering, Chloe sparked an idea.

They came to a stop and the redhead turned to smile at Beca, "Wanna race?"

Beca quirked a brow at the question, "Seriously?" and a natural smirk curved at the corner of her mouth, "You wanna race me?"

Chloe confidently nodded, "Yeah," and took a step closer, "One lap around the track." She took another step, her challenging grin only growing wider, "Whatdaya say?"

Beca wasn't sure where this daring side of Chloe was coming from, but she had to admit, she kind of liked it. She grinned back at her girlfriend's challenge, and figured some friendly competition would be fun.

"Yeah, okay." Beca smiled, "Bring it on."

They lined themselves up with the lanes on the track and Beca bent down to take her stance before looking over at Chloe.

"Ready to lose, Beale?"

Chloe flipped her red ponytail to one side to face her girlfriend and smirked as she slowly took her position.

"I'm ready to kick your butt, Mitchell."

Beca scoffed a laugh, "In your dreams, babe." Chloe just hummed and turned her head back to face the track.

"Whenever you're ready," she sang, and Beca focused her eyes on the track as well before counting them off.

"On your mark..." Chloe lowered herself a bit more and anchored her feet into the ground.

"Get set..."

Beca inhaled a breath before finally letting them, "Go!"

They took off in an instant and Beca was quick to take the lead. She had always been a sprinter, that was her specialty. She was never a fan of long distance races and found that short meter sprints gave her a much more affective "adrenaline rush," so to speak.

She happily maintained her position, using all of her energy to bolt around the turns. As Beca approached the second to last turn, she smiled as the finish line grew closer and closer. She wasn't sure how far behind Chloe was and without turning her head to find out, she shouted,

"Get ready to lose, Beale!" Beca came up to the last turn and started to feel the tightness that usually appeared in her chest whenever she reached this part of a race. She never knew why, but her body always felt like it was giving out on her and faltering whenever she reached that last turn. It seemed to be her weakness and downfall when running against Luke, but this was Chloe she was running with now, and Beca was confident her weakness wasn't going to matter.

That is until she suddenly heard,

"Hey, Becs!"

Beca snapped her head around to find Chloe mere inches away from her and victoriously grinning like a sly fox. And before Beca even had the chance to blink, Chloe had sped up her pace and passed her, finishing their little race just a few seconds before her.

Beca was left in a state of shock, panting with wide eyes, and completely dazed by the events that had just taken place.

Did she just… **lose?**

After catching her breath, Chloe stood up straight and proudly planted her hands on her hips, "You were saying?"

Beca was still speechless and could only stare at her for a few more moments, unsure if what had happened was even real. And it wasn't that Beca didn't believe that Chloe was a good enough runner to beat her, because, she was. But Beca had just been so confident that she was going to win, that the disappointment of losing _again–_ in the exact same way she's been constantly losing to Luke– was a little staggering. Beca had always won her races at her old school. Why was this place so different?

The dumbfounded brunette continued to gawk at the ginger, until finally blinking herself back to reality, "How did you do that?" She asked.

Chloe chuckled, "What do you mean?"

"How did you beat me last minute like that?" Beca's originally frozen stature suddenly became animated, and she started using her limbs to express herself as she continued, "I keep losing to Luke the same **exact** way–" Her hands instinctively moved to run through the top of her hair, forgetting it was tied up in a ponytail and causing some strands to come lose, "and I don't understand why!"

Beca hadn't notice her voice was elevating with every word, getting caught up in the stressful bet she had made with the English boy, until Chloe was then staring at her with concern.

"Becs, it was just a silly race." She placed her hands on her shoulders and caressed her, easing the brunette from her agitated state. "Why are you getting so worked up?"

Beca dropped her head with a sigh, "I didn't get to tell you what I did yesterday."

Chloe continued to caress her, "What'd you do yesterday?"

Beca shook her head, mostly to herself since she still couldn't believe she had been so impulsive, then looked up to meet Chloe's gaze.

"I made a bet with Luke yesterday that I could beat him in the four hundred meter dash on Friday."

Chloe blinked. That was it?

"Oh," she said, moving a hand to rub her back, "Well, what's wrong with that?"

Beca sighed again and untied her ponytail to run her fingers through her hair.

"I bet him fifty bucks and I just know I'm gonna–" Beca hesitated, focusing on the feel of Chloe's hand rubbing small, soothing circles on her back. She felt like she wanted to cry, but she really didn't want Chloe to see that. She blinked back her tears and shrugged hopelessly, "I'm gonna lose."

"Oh, babe..." Chloe pulled the smaller girl closer to her, holding her tightly for a moment before letting her go to look into her steel blue eyes, "Why would you say that? You can beat him."

Beca shook her head, "No I can't," and then she scoffed a sarcastic laugh, "I couldn't even beat you just now."

Chloe gasped and let go of her girlfriend, "Hey."

Beca snickered, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

And then Chloe's features softened again, "I know," and her hand instinctively reached for the brunette again, this time settling for rubbing her thumb against her arm. "Becs..." She tilted her girlfriend's chin to face her, "Why are you so sure you're going to lose?" She gently combed the fingers of her free hand through the top of her brown hair, "Don't you know how amazing you are?"

Beca made a face, "Chlo..." and she shrugged the redhead's hands off of her, "You're suppose to say that. You're my girlfriend."

Chloe gasped dramatically, hoping a playful tone would help elevate Beca's lowered mood, "Hey, for your information I'm telling you the truth." She promptly poked a finger at Beca's shoulder, "Don't discredit my words."

Beca snickered. She could see right through her girlfriend's attempts at mitigating her defeated state, and honestly, she appreciated it. It was nice knowing she had someone who genuinely cared about her and how she saw herself. It was nice having someone look out for her and remind her of things she seemed to have forgotten. It was nice having a girlfriend.

It was nice having **Chloe Beale** as her girlfriend.

Beca released a sigh through her nose. Her heart was believing the sincerity that was staring back at her in Chloe's sparkling blue eyes, but Beca's scarred self-conscious still existed within her and wanted her to believe that she was nothing but a loser. Thankfully Beca's heart reached out just a little further than her insecurities for once, and her lips slowly curved into a soft smile.

"Thanks, Chlo. And I'm sorry for how I acted, I wasn't trying to discredit you. It's just–" She sighed again, "I don't know how to beat him."

Chloe looked at her afflicted girlfriend, who's sad eyes were focused on her foot kicking around a small pebble, and wanted to do whatever she could to possibly help her feel better.

"Maybe I can help."

Beca didn't look up, "How?"

And Chloe knew she had to get going, but Beca needed her and she was definitely more important than any classroom assignment. Chloe brought a hand up to hold onto her chin and hummed as she thought back to all of their morning workouts and what she had seen of Beca during their practices. After analyzing her memories, Chloe realized she had recognized a pattern in Beca's methods and she gasped a smile when she finally figured out a potential solution.

"I think I know what your problem is!"

Beca's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden exclamation, and although she was eager to hear about the possible discovery, she still quirked a brow at her choice of words.

"My problem?"

"Listen, just hear me out," Chloe started, sounding excited as ever, "You said you start feeling like your body wants to give out on you by the time you get to the last turn, right?" Beca nodded in response, "Okay, well I think I've noticed what your flaw is." She started using her hands as she explained her theory, and if the topic wasn't as important to Beca as it actually was, she would have giggled with amusement.

"So far– from what I've noticed," Chloe continued, "every time you race, you start it with everything you've got and you sprint at your fastest speed."

Beca furrowed her brow a bit, confused, and shrugged, "Well yeah. That's how I did it at my old school. I started as fast as I could and no one was able to catch up with me."

"Exactly! Don't you see, Beca?" Chloe grabbed onto her shoulders, not forcefully, but enough to keep her focus on her, "You use up all of the energy you have from the get go, so by the time you make it to the last turn, your body is exhausted and can't use any energy that could be left." Beca was still a little befuddled, but she wanted to hear Chloe out until she was completely finished.

"The reason why your technique worked at your old school was probably because everyone else thought the same way, that starting faster meant ending faster. But, that's not the best approach." Chloe was on to something, and Beca could feel herself getting eager to hear her conclusion, "Luke must know the same thing I do. If you start off with everything you've got, then you won't have anything left by the time you reach the finish line. But…" she grinned, subconsciously moving closer to her girlfriend out of elation, "if you start off fast, while still holding back some of your energy, you'll be able to get to the last turn and still have enough in you to bolt down to the finish line and win the race!"

And it was kind of funny, really, how Beca had never thought about, or ever really noticed this about herself. But Chloe had a point. Her explanation was enlightening and the science behind it was sound. Beca processed what this could mean for her and how this new approach could earn her a victory against Luke. And the second Beca realized this, her body ignited with a warmth that she couldn't quite comprehend.

She was excited and happy, and suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to kiss the beautiful redhead standing before her.

So she did.

Without warning, Beca's hands surged forward and pulled Chloe in by her face until their lips heedlessly crashed into each other. It didn't take long for them to fall into a familiar rhythm, however, and eventually Beca lowered her hands to snake them around Chloe's waist and picked her up, off the ground.

Chloe's surprised yelp was muffled by Beca's lips and they both giggled and laughed as Beca playfully spun them around. After a few rotations, Beca gradually lowered the cheerleader back down and kissed her one last time before separating herself with a wide smile.

"Thank you."

Chloe slipped her hands over Beca's and pressed her forehead onto hers, "Anytime, my love."

Beca felt her stomach flip at those words. She had a feeling Chloe would always have this affect on her, and honestly, Beca couldn't have cared less. They stayed in their sweet little moment for about minute, until Beca unexpectedly broke it by snapping her head upright.

"Shit!" she blurted, "You gotta get to class!" Beca grabbed ahold of Chloe's hand and ran to the school building, pulling the laughing redhead behind her.

Despite being physically led by Beca, Chloe managed to stop them before they made it inside. "Beca, it's fine." She lowered her hands to lace her fingers with the brunette's and she smiled at her, "I just want make sure you believe me when I say that you're like–" she tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind Beca's ear, "super, crazy talented." Her hand continued it's path and circled back around to caress just under her chin, "Okay?"

Beca was still unsure of how she got to be so lucky to be with someone like Chloe Beale, but she simply smiled back anyway and nodded, "Okay."

And Beca truly did believe her, but she also wished that her lingering insecurities would stop putting negative thoughts into her head. Her relationship with Chloe had been nothing but positively beneficial for her self-confidence, and Beca hoped that eventually those insecurities would disappear entirely.

Chloe looked up at one of the school clocks hanging on a nearby wall and chuckled, "Okay, now we have to rush."

Together they ran down the hall and somewhere along the way they began a fun game of cat and mouse. Chloe happily took the lead as the "mouse" as they entered the locker room and Beca embraced being the "cat" as she willingly chased after her. Chloe squealed when they darted around a corner and Beca reached for her but failed to get a grip on her. Chloe maneuvered through the aisles of lockers, aiming to get to the shower stalls before Beca, but the brunette was smart. When Chloe wasn't looking, Beca had managed to cut through a different row, and Chloe shrieked when she unexpectedly appeared in front of her. Beca wrapped her arms around the ginger's waist and picked her back up, this time holding her close in a tight embrace.

"Gotcha!" Beca laughed, struggling to keep the squirming redhead in her grasp.

Chloe was laughing too, and couldn't believe Beca had got her, "You cheated!" The sounds of their fun echoed through the empty room and eventually Beca put her girlfriend down with a huff.

"Did not."

Chloe started untying her ponytail and together they walked towards the shower stalls, "You so did."

Beca snickered, "Whatever you say."

Chloe reached one of the stalls first and stepped inside to turn it on. When she pivoted back around, Beca was already removing her shirt. Chloe intuitively tilted her head to side as the tip of her tongue curved to touch the top row of her teeth, and her eyes felt no restraint as they candidly followed every flex of Beca's abdominal muscles. It wasn't until the brunette had completely tugged her shirt off and glanced at her, that Chloe realized what she had been doing.

"Can I help you?" Beca was already grinning, but her smirk only widened when she noticed a light shade of red appearing on Chloe's cheeks. It felt good knowing she also had some kind of enticing affect on her girlfriend.

Chloe laughed sheepishly and looked to the ground, always intrigued by the fact that Beca could get her so flustered. Especially considering the fact that Chloe had always been such a confident person who rarely ever felt nervous around anyone.

"Sorry," Chloe said, but her perplexed state didn't last long, and she looked back up, sporting a familiar, almost rapacious smirk, "but you're kind of irresistible to look at."

And now it was Beca's turn to feel her cheeks involuntarily burning, but she wasn't going to let Chloe gain the upper hand, so she let her eyes fall and gradually raked them back up Chloe's figure until they reconnected with her sapphire orbs.

"Look who's talking," she quipped.

Chloe narrowed her eyes with a hum, "Smooth," and she nodded, moderately, "Very smooth."

Beca matched her convivial sarcasm, "I know, right?" and Chloe just rolled her eyes, failing to hold back the smile that was emerging on her lips.

Once their little game had ended itself, Chloe followed Beca's lead and removed her shirt. She continued to undress herself and somehow managed to stop herself from drooling over Beca's athletic form. Chloe tied her hair back up, this time in a messy bun, and opened the shower curtain to step inside. She moved to closed the curtain behind her, but quickly stopped when she almost hit Beca with it.

"Woah!" The brunette yelped, jerking backwards and dodging the curtain before it could touch her.

"Oh," Chloe said, suddenly, and oddly, sounding uncomfortable, "Uh, sorry, Becs."

Beca chuckled, "It's okay," and she proceeded to enter the stall.

"Wait."

The track star stopped immediately and looked at Chloe's face, furrowing her brow at the concerned expression staring back at her.

"What is it?"

"Um..." Chloe nervously bit down on her bottom lip. She didn't want to say it. She didn't want to _have_ to say it. But the truth of the matter was, after what had happened with Aubrey the last time, showering with Beca had unfortunately become a risk. "Would it be okay if we maybe... didn't, shower together?"

Her question was unexpected and Beca could feel her chest tightening with worry, "Oh, uh–" She didn't want jump to conclusions, but she already had a strong feeling of how this conversation was going to end. "Can I ask why?"

Chloe hated what she was doing. This was not what she wanted, but, she had to be honest, "Well, it's just that–" She took in a breath and released a low sigh, "Aubrey almost caught us last time, and I just think that maybe it'd be safer if we just didn't shower together." She tried her best to make it sound light, "Ya know?"

Beca struggled to not express her sadness, and despite her best efforts, Chloe could still recognize a hint of it glistening in her dark eyes.

Chloe reached for her girlfriend, "I'm sorry, Becs," but Beca only took a step back.

"N-No, it's cool." She took another step, avoiding Chloe's gaze as she felt herself rapidly losing control of her disappointed emotions. "I get it."

Chloe felt horrible. She knew Beca was bothered by the rejection and it killed her to feel like she didn't really have much of a choice. This _was_ the agreement they originally settled on, wasn't it? Sneaking around in order to be affectionate with one another, and sometimes doing things they didn't want to in order to make sure no one found out about them. Keeping their relationship a secret was challenging and complicated, but… that's what they both wanted... right?

Chloe felt sick to her stomach as Beca continued to step away. She really didn't want her to go, but, what choice did she have?

Beca was still avoiding any eye contact and breathed a very short chuckle that Chloe knew was a cover up.

"I guess I'll just–" Beca finally looked at her, her eyes missing their usual spark and she gestured to the stall next to hers, "I'll shower over here and uh, I guess I'll just… see you when we get out." Another fake chuckle and Beca was out of Chloe's sight before she could get another word in.

Chloe naturally wanted to say "fuck it" and apologize for her stupid words, and go after Beca. But she also knew that what she had just done had hurt Beca, and she felt that right then and there was probably not the best time to try to fix things and make it up to her. Chloe hope that Beca wouldn't still be upset with her by the time Cooking class came around, but she honestly couldn't be too sure.

Beca, on the other hand, reluctantly entered a separate stall and showered in silence. She could literally feel the thick and awkward tension filling the air between them, and she couldn't help but feel frustrated about it all.

Beca knew that she didn't want their relationship to be a secret anymore. She knew that she wanted to spend every single day with Chloe if she could, and tell people that, "Yeah, she's my girlfriend."

But she couldn't. And that wasn't fair.

Chloe's recent forbiddances were slowly starting to get to Beca, the hurt of each one stacking on top of the other and gradually becoming more and more unbearable. And Beca knew that Chloe loved her just as much as she did. She had to. Their moments together were too beautiful to be created by two people who just simply 'liked each other a lot.' No, what they had was different. It was special. It felt like there was a ripple in the universe every time they were together. They would do absolutely **anything** for each other.

Well… that is, except tell the world about it.

But they loved each other. They did. They truly, truly did, with everything they had.

But maybe… maybe that love wasn't enough anymore.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: ...don't hate me.**


	27. Missing

**Author's 1st Note: Ugh... this has been the longest I've gone with an update and I am so terribly sorry. Work has definitely been a major reason for my procrastination, but I also had gone on vacation for about 2 weeks, and I also hit a bit of writer's block for a while. I'm happy I pushed through it though. I really wanted to get this chapter up today.**

 **I can't thank you guys enough for baring with my crazy schedule. It means a lot and it keeps me going.**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Their showers had ended approximately at the same time, but Beca and Chloe had continued to get themselves ready in an awkward silence. Their eyes would occasionally shift to glance at one another, but the moment they made eye contact, they would quickly look away.

There was an uncomfortable tension filling the room that neither girl enjoyed. And other than the secretive looks they would share, no other real contact was made.

Beca finished her hair and makeup before Chloe and she packed her bag with a pace that was quicker than usual. It didn't go unnoticed by Chloe.

"So, uh..." Beca hitched the strap of her backpack over her shoulder, "I guess I'll just… see you in class."

"Oh…" Chloe searched her dark eyes. She was looking for something, something that would reassure her that everything was fine, "Okay," but all she could find was a broken flicker of what used to be the brunette's usual spark.

Chloe smiled weakly and it stung like a dagger to Beca's heart. Beca wanted to make things better just as much as Chloe did. She did. But Chloe had hurt her, and Beca knew that it would have been best if she just left so she wouldn't get an opportunity to accidentally screw things up even more between them. Chloe meant way too much to her to let that happen.

With a closed smile and a quick nod, Beca turned and left, leaving Chloe to stare at the closing door in front of her with slightly glossed eyes. She blinked back the few tears that were threatening to escape and took in a short breath as she turned to face the mirror again.

"We're fine," she said, attempting to reenforce a hope that was now dangling by a small thread, "We're gonna be fine." But as hard a she tried, Chloe couldn't ignore the bit of doubt still gnawing at the back of her mind.

But Chloe didn't want to think about that.

She shook her head and continued her morning routine alone, hoping that by the time cooking class came around, Beca's mood would be lightened. But that was all Chloe really had at the moment was hope. And although it was small, she held onto it like there was nothing else left in the world.

* * *

Beca gripped tightly onto the strap of her backpack as she walked to her first period class. Well, power walked really. Her brow was furrowed in thought and her mouth was clenched to keep herself from crying. What was she suppose to do? Every time she finally opened herself up and tried to talk to Chloe about exposing their hidden relationship, Beca was interrupted by something random, or by Chloe herself. Maybe the universe was trying to give her a sign. Maybe her luck just wasn't that great. Either way, Beca was growing frustrated, and the constant feeling of rejection from Chloe wasn't helping to ease the aching in her chest.

Beca was making her way to the stairs, not particularly in the mood to start a conversation with anyone, but finding herself face to face with Emily when she almost bumped into her as she rapidly turned the corner.

"Woah!" Was what came out of the freshman's mouth as she quickly stopped herself and prevented an actual collision from happening between them. "Oh," she smiled, recognizing the smaller brunette, "Good morning, Beca." She tucked her hair behind her ear and readjusted the books in her hand, "How've you been? I don't really seen you outside of class," she giggled.

And if it wasn't for her complicated morning, Beca would have gladly stopped to chat with her bubbly classmate. But unfortunately, Beca was in no mood to socialize, and she didn't want to risk snapping at the innocent girl.

"Look," she started, trying her best not to sound harsh, "I don't mean to be rude, I just–" she shook her head, "I have somewhere that I need to be."

"Oh, uh–" Emily's smile faltered a bit and she watched Beca take a step up the stairs, "Okay." She breathed a short, but also clearly disappointed laugh, "Maybe next time."

Beca felt bad that she was basically kicking a small puppy to the curb, but there was no way she could hold up a proper conversation with her at the moment.

"Sorry," was the last thing Beca muttered before averting her eyes and bolting up the rest of the stairs, skipping a step every so often just so she could get away from everyone as quickly as possible.

She made it to her English class, capturing the attention of her teacher when she caught him off guard with her unexpected arrival.

"Miss Mitchell," he sounded as surprised as he looked and put down the pen he had previously been writing with, "What are you doing here so early? Did you need help with something?"

Beca blinked, "Uh, no. Sorry, I just uh–" A sigh escaped her, and she hoped her teacher hadn't caught the frustration lining it's edges, "I have some work I need to get done."

"Oh," he thankfully seemed unfazed, "Alright then. I won't bother you." And then he smiled, genuinely, making Beca feel uncomfortable. She had a horrible habit of disliking when others were nice to her while she was experiencing one of her "moods." She found it unfair; almost like she didn't deserve their kindness.

Beca's response was an awkward nod and a brief half-smile, before she lowered her head back down and brooded her way to her seat. She dropped her bag onto her desk and plunked down with a huff. Scanning her quiet surroundings, Beca realized that, actually, it was kind of nice getting to class early. Other than the sound of papers occasionally turning on her teacher's desk, a peaceful silence filled the room, and Beca decided to appreciate that much needed silence; wishing it could last forever.

She crossed her arms over her backpack, closing her eyes and lowering her head to rest it on top. The events of her morning replayed in her mind like a story board, and Beca couldn't help but grit her teeth at how suckish it had ended. She didn't want to be on bad terms with Chloe. That beautiful, vivacious, overly cheerful, frustrating redhead meant everything to her. All Beca wanted was for their relationship to not be a secret anymore.

Was that really too much to ask for?

Unfortunately time wasn't going to stay in Beca's favor, and her short lived escape ended abruptly when the sound the of the first period bell rang about the school. She jolted up in her seat and quickly blinked her vision back to normal. It didn't take much longer for her peers to start filling the classroom, and when Fat Amy finally entered, Beca groaned to herself. Now she was going to have to put up an act for Amy.

"Aye, good mornin' shortstack! How are you– woah…" The blonde Aussie stopped when she took in Beca's rough appearance, "You alright?"

"Hm?" Beca blinked at her, "Oh, yeah," and faked a yawn as she rubbed her eye, "Just didn't get much sleep last night."

Fat Amy snorted, "I can see that." She resumed her journey to her seat and dropped down, pulling her binder out of her bag, "Well I hope you're awake enough to help me with somefin'."

 _Not really…_ "Sure," Beca replied, dryly, "What is it?"

Amy never looked at her, occupied with flipping through the pages until her face lit up with the page Beca assumed she was looking for. Amy leaned over so the brunette could have a look, "I need your opinion on this."

Amy went on about the designs of a mini-condo she was going to have their friend Lily build for her pet chinchilla. The "blueprints" she had drawn out were colorful and creative, but despite Amy's long and detailed description of the project, all Beca could think about, was Chloe.

* * *

After taking her time to finish getting herself ready for the day, Chloe stayed in the girl's locker room. She made herself comfortable on one of the nearby benches and put her earbuds in before selecting her "When I'm Upset" playlist. Once the depressing music flooded her ears, Chloe sighed as she laid back and simply stared at the blank ceiling above her.

She knew that listening to Adele could only help so much, but at least it helped. She thought about the events that had played out that morning, and how their time together had quickly turned from wonderful to problematic. Chloe didn't understand why Beca seemed to have gotten so upset. Couldn't she see that what Chloe was doing was for their own protection? Beca was the one who originally wanted their relationship to be a secret, and now all Chloe was trying to do was make sure it was.

She thought she was doing the right thing, but maybe, she wasn't.

The bell to first period rang and startled the redhead out of her thoughts. She reluctantly sat back up, removing her earbuds and wrapping them around her iPod. She was not looking forward to the rest of the day, though fourth period was definitely an exception to that. Chloe desperately wanted to see Beca again, to see if things really **were** okay with them and hopefully see that award winning smile she had grown so fond of.

Beca had a great smile, and for a moment, the corner of Chloe's mouth curved at the thought of it. But that small smile quickly fell again, when the reminder that Chloe was the one who caused it to disappear in the first place finally sank in, and she whispered a silent prayer to hopefully be the one who brings it back.

Chloe stood up and grabbed her bag, taking in a deep breath before confidently walking out of the locker room, bracing herself for the rest of the day.

* * *

The experiences both girls endured throughout their classes were fairly similar. They blanked out when their inner thoughts consumed their bodily functions and they would occasionally get a disciplinary remark from their teachers when they were caught not paying attention. Their behaviors were off to those who interacted with them on a daily basis, but with a few quicks lies and a brief cover up smile, both Beca and Chloe were able to give the illusion that they were "fine" and "just a little sleep deprived."

How long they could manage the facade, neither girl really knew, but they both tried their best to maintain it. At least until fourth period. Or actually, **especially** for fourth period.

Chloe thought she was doing a pretty good job too, and she probably would have been very prepared for cooking class, that is, until she remembered she was going to have to face her father **literally** an hour before facing her.

Awkward.

Chloe cautiously entered the chemistry class and swiftly made her way to her seat. She didn't want to draw any kind attention to herself and wanted to stay under the radar for as long as possible. Avoiding Mr. Mitchell wasn't going to be easy, but maybe if he saw Chloe focusing really hard on her papers, then _maybe_ he wouldn't be inclined to call on her.

…Maybe.

"Alright, class. Today we're going to continue our discussion on Stoichiometry." Mr Mitchell began his class after the second bell rang, and Chloe took his opening as her cue. She pulled out her notebook and kept her eyes locked on the lined paper.

Chloe payed attention for most of the lesson, she really did. But as time went on, her notes on molecular substance had progressively turned into tiny doodles of Beca's name. She didn't mean to get off track, but the thought of the fiesta little track star was just too overwhelming to ignore.

"So after converting the mass, how many moles do we have? Chloe?"

The redhead shot her head up, instinctively cover her notebook with her hands, "Uh…" Her cheeks began heating up, turning a shade that was almost as red as her hair. She looked around, feeling the pressure of her fellow peer's eyes on her and embarrassed that she had been caught not paying attention… again.

Chloe sighed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Mitchell. I wasn't really… paying attention." She looked at him with apologetic eyes and was happy to find that he didn't seem angry.

"Alright, well I recommend you start. This information is going to be on your next test." A couple of immature "oohs" came out of her classmate's mouths, and other than a corrective look, Mr. Mitchell seemed to have let her off the hook and fell back into the lesson.

It slightly worried Chloe that the man didn't call on her for the rest of the period, and she wasn't sure if it was because he was being a "cool" teacher and letting her have a sort of "day off", or if he was waiting to talk to her after class. Chloe gulped to herself, desperately hope it was the latter.

Once the bell rang, Chloe released a breath of relief and collected her things, mentally preparing herself for the unknown that was about to come. But before Chloe could make it all the way out the door, she froze in place and squeezed her eyes shut when she heard a prominent, "Miss Beale," come from behind her.

 _Shit._

Chloe slowly turned around to face her teacher, "…Yes?"

"Can you come here for a minute?"

The cheerleader gave the man a sheepish smile. He didn't look too happy. Chloe breathed another sigh through her nose and moseyed her way over to his desk. She didn't want to beat around the bush and decided to just get to the point.

"Am I in trouble?" She was surprised when his features suddenly softened and a light chuckle rumbled from the back of his throat.

"No, you're not in trouble." Mr. Mitchell sat forward on his seat, folding his hands on his desk, "But are you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned, "You're usually very present in my class, but today you seemed to have been, somewhere else. Is everything okay?"

Chloe smiled warmly at her teacher's kindness, but the question through her for a loop. What was she suppose to say? The truth? Something along the lines of: _"Actually, no, I'm not okay. I just had a small dispute with your daughter in the locker room– whom I'm secretly dating by the way– that has kind of put our relationship in an awkward rut, and I can't seem to think about anything else_ ** _but_** _your daughter– who's also my girlfriend– And I'm not sure if things are going to back to normal between us… BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I'M FINE!"_

No. There was no way in **hell** Chloe's was going to say that. Instead, she decided to go with the classic, "Yeah, I'm okay." She nodded a few brief times, not only to reassure her teacher, but also to reassure herself of her own lie, "I've just been a little stressed out with school work, that's all."

Mr. Mitchell hummed, arching a brow and perching his lips a bit as he nodded back in understanding.

"I see. Well," he released his hands and sat back in his chair, "I just wanted to check on you." And then he grinned, "You're my of my favorite students, ya know."

This also took Chloe by surprise, and she couldn't help but smile back at the compliment, "Really?"

Mr. Mitchell nodded, "Absolutely. You're a hard worker, you help others, and you always have a smile on your face. Those are every admirable qualities in my book."

Chloe was flattered. She had never been told such nice things from a teacher before. Sure she got along with most of her teachers, but none had ever made a point to let her know how much of a good job she was doing. It was nice. And Chloe appreciated him for it.

"Gosh," she breathed a short, almost disbelieving laugh, "Thank you," and squeezed her books closer to her chest in delight, "That's really nice of you to say."

"You're welcome. And I hope things ease up for you soon."

 _Yeah, me too…_

Some students from Mr. Mitchell's fourth period began piling into the room and Chloe's eyes widened when she realized she was going to be late for cooking.

"Shoot!" She turned to look at the clock behind her before facing Mr. Mitchell again, "Sorry, Mr. M, I gotta go. I'm going to be late for my next class."

He sat up in his chair to also look at the clock, "I'm sorry, no, that's my fault. Here–" He reached down to open one of his desk drawers, pulling out a stack of yellow slips, "Let me right you an excuse."

"Oh," Chloe said, readjusting the strap of her bag, "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

Mr. Mitchell was already filling it out, "It's not a problem." He paused when he reached the "class" line, looking backup at the redhead to ask, "Which class do you have next?"

"Hm?" she asked, briefly confused until she quickly figured out why he needed to know, "Oh, cooking class with Ms. Gail," she answered.

Mr. Mitchell started filling in the information but stopped and brought his head back up, "Oh, you have class with Beca next period?"

Chloe wanted to flinch at the mentioning of her name, but she knew that would only look suspicious to the man, so she contained it.

"Yeah, I do." She smiled, trying her best to make it seem like it _wasn't_ trying to cover anything up, "She's my partner." And the immature part of her brain laughed at the irony of her choice of words.

Mr. Mitchell smiled, "That's nice. Is she a good partner?" he joked, and Chloe wanted to scream.

"She's great."

Her teacher chuckled, "Well that's good to hear." He continued filling out the excuse and Chloe started chewing on the inside of her cheek, feeling a little antsy. "I know this doesn't have anything to do with school, but—" Mr. Mitchell tore off the slip and handed it to Chloe with a soft smile, "I want to thank you for being such a good friend to Beca."

Chloe tensed.

 _Yikes…_

"I don't know what you did, but ever since she met you, Beca just seems so much…" He searched for the word, "happier."

Chloe's heart started to ache at his words. Any other time she would have been thrilled to have heard this commendation from him, but Mr. Mitchell's timing was horrible and all he really did was make Chloe feel worse about how she left things with Beca.

Chloe gingerly took the yellow paper from his grasp, and swallowed the small knot that had formed in the back of her throat, forcing a grin to help mask her state of anxiety.

"That's really sweet, Mr. M." Chloe wasn't sure how she was still breathing, "Thank you for that."

Mr. Mitchell shook his head, "No, thank _you_."

Chloe breathed another small smile as she looked at the excuse in her hand. This man was being so kind to her, and despite her unsteady position with Beca, Mr. Mitchell deserved to know the truth about his daughter.

"Ya know," Chloe started, eyes still focused on her hand, "You have a really awesome daughter, Mr. M." She wanted to cry and she was pretty sure her eyes were a tad bit glossier than they should have been, but she didn't care. Chloe looked back up at her teacher with an honest smile, "She's a very special person and I can't tell you enough how thankful I am to have her in my life."

Her words moved the older man and his body eased before he sat back in awe and said, "Wow… Thank you, Chloe."

Chloe felt like she was going to explode with a combination of emotions, but she needed to compose herself just a little bit longer.

She breathed a smile, "I mean it." The bell for fourth period to begin finally rang and jolted both parties out of their heartfelt conversation. Chloe swallowed, "Okay, well I'd better get going," and she took a step back, "Thanks again for the pass."

Mr. Mitchell stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets, "Anytime."

Chloe gave her teacher one last nod before turning and bolting out the door. She stopped to fall onto a nearby wall, gripping her chest to keep herself from hyperventilating. That was a conversation she could have never prepared for.

After composing herself as best as she could, Chloe looked at the yellow slip and hoped she was ready enough to finally see Beca again.

* * *

The track star had almost chewed through all of her nails by the time fourth period came around. A part of Beca was really excited to see Chloe again. It had only been a few hours, but she already missed her favorite redhead dearly. But the way their morning had panned out left the other side of Beca with **extreme** nervousness, and a bit of fear. What if Chloe was mad at her too? After all, Chloe was just trying to protect them right? She didn't mean to hurt Beca. And Beca definitely didn't want to be mad at her anymore.

Couples fight all the time, that was nothing new. And even though this wasn't really a "fight", it left Beca and Chloe feeling guilty and hurt afterward. But surely Beca could move on from this. She had to. She _wanted_ to.

So that's exactly what she was gonna do.

When the bell to fourth period rang, Beca was quick on her feet and wanted to make sure she got to class before Chloe did. Before they were a couple, Chloe would be late– or almost late– to cooking everyday. But once she had something, well, more specifically some _one_ , to look forward to, Chloe made the effort to get to class with about a minute to spare.

Beca made it to the classroom and internally praised herself for a mission accomplished. She sat down on her stool and awkwardly waited for the redhead's arrival. For some reason, Beca couldn't figure out what to do with her hands, but eventually, she settled for folding them together and fiddling with her thumbs.

Beca didn't realize her eyes kept darting to the clock almost every thirty seconds, but she did notice the way her chest grew heavier, every minute that passed.

Where was Chloe? She was usually there by then. Her lack of appearance worried Beca and her mind began to reel with negative scenarios as to why. What if Chloe actually **was** mad at her? What if Chloe was so mad that she left school early? What if things between them were ruined forever and it was all Beca's fault?!

She eyed the clock and didn't blink once as the red hand counted down the seconds of the last minute. Beca's thumbs twiddled faster and faster, and it wasn't until the bell finally rang and Beca gasped, that she realized she had been holding her breath.

Chloe wasn't there, and Beca felt like her heart had sunk into the pit of her stomach.

Ms. Gail didn't hesitate to start the lesson for that day, and while everyone else settled down to pay attention, all Beca could do was stare at her binder. She panicked at the thought that her relationship with Chloe could have been officially over, but before her negative assumptions could bring her down even more, the sound of the door suddenly opening startled everyone in the room.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Gail," Chloe panted, holding herself up against the doorframe, appearing to have been previously running.

Ms. Gail stood up straight and expressed an annoyed look on her face, "You're late… _again_."

"No, no, no, wait– Look!" She quickly walked over to her irritated teacher and handed her the yellow pass, "I have an excuse!"

Beca sat with her mouth slightly opened, watching the entire exchange in surprise. Chloe was there…

Chloe was there!

Ms. Gail read the excuse and waved Chloe off, "Alright. Go find your seat." Chloe grinned and nodded, turning to make her way over to her stool.

Ms. Gail continued explaining the lesson and Chloe's feet suddenly felt heavier with every step she took toward her table. Beca was staring at her, with an expression that Chloe couldn't quite read. She didn't look mad, so that was a good sign. But she also didn't look happy. She was just, looking at her.

Chloe took a breath as she slowly sat down, placing her bag on the floor and occasionally glancing over at the brunette next to her. Beca had moved her eyes to the binder in front of her, and it worried Chloe when she didn't speak.

Maybe she _was_ still mad at her.

When the brunette stayed quiet for a few more minutes, Chloe decided she couldn't take the awkwardness anymore and decided to break the growing tension.

"Hey…"

It was almost a whisper, but not quite. And even though Chloe wasn't exactly expecting a response, she was pleasantly surprised when Beca finally turned to look at her, a small, but genuine smile slowly spreading across her lips. Her eyes had a glint of something she seemed to have lost earlier that morning, and Chloe could feel her entire body heating up at the familiarity.

"Hey." Without checking her surroundings, not really caring who saw, Beca reached her hand forward and placed it on top of Chloe's, running her thumb back and forth over her soft skin. Chloe could only smile back.

They were okay. They were going to be okay.

…Or so they hoped.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Yay! They fixed things! Right!? ...Right?**


	28. Broken

**Author's 1st Note: Long wait, I know. Again, I ask that you guys please forgive me for that.**

 **Also, I didn't have the time to re-read and edit this chapter, so please forgive me for any grammar mistakes as well.**

 **But other than that, hope you enjoy the chapter! :D**

 **P.S. ...Brace yourselves?**

* * *

Falling back into a familiar routine came a lot easier to the girls than they thought it would have. They worked on their class assignment with cautious ease as if nothing was wrong, making sure to keep their inner thoughts to themselves.

It may not have been the best decision, but Beca and Chloe didn't want to be on opposite ends with each other any longer. Sure their "fight" only lasted a few hours, but that short amount of time of separation with negative weights in their chests was tortuous enough to persuade both girls into keeping their opinions to themselves.

However, placing a blanket over the "elephant in the room" could only last so long. And unfortunately, Beca and Chloe were going to quickly learn that that elephant was going to get tired of sitting in the dark.

* * *

Wednesday morning began with promise, both girls genuinely excited to see each other's faces again. As usual, Chloe arrived on the field before Beca, but the track star was only shortly behind and joined her redheaded girlfriend a few minutes later.

"Hey, babe," Chloe grinned, watching the brunette drop her bags and approach her with a reciprocated smile.

"Morning." Beca reached out her arms and pulled Chloe in for a warm hug.

When they separated, both girls instinctively leaned forward to capture the other's lips, but with a quick flash of memory, Beca and Chloe hesitated and stopped themselves; awkwardly dropping their hands and taking a step back.

"Sorry, I–" Chloe started, but Beca was right there with her.

"No, I know," she said, and shrugged, "It's fine."

But it wasn't fine. It was painful and frustrating. Beca knew this, and Chloe could sense it. But despite the more logical parts of their brains _screaming_ for them to talk to one another about the whole situation, the easier part, as usual, won them over, and they decided to just carry on with their morning.

"So, uh," Chloe cleared her throat, not wanting the uncomfortable tension to last, "Ready to run?"

Beca smiled. It was weak, almost tired, "Sure." But it was still a smile, and Chloe wasn't going to take it for granted.

They started their run and managed to avoid anymore awkward silences by maintaining a civil conversation. They talked about how their practices had gone the day before, which teacher's annoyed them or gave out too much homework, and somewhere along the way Chloe mentioned a new stunt she and the cheer team had been practicing for the past week. Any other morning, these topics would have been normal and significant. But at this point, Beca and Chloe had to admit to themselves that they were only using those pointless stories to help avoid the inevitable for as long as they could.

As they neared the end of their usual workout, Beca remembered that there was a certain technique she had yet to try, that would hopefully help her in the upcoming track meet.

"Hey, Chlo," Beca panted, hunched over and gripping her knees as she caught her breath.

"Yeah?" Chloe breathed back, equally exhausted.

After taking another moment to compose herself, Beca stood up, another small smile apparent on her lips, "Wanna race me?"

Chloe smiled back, "Trying to change the outcome from last time?"

It was nice being back to their usual flirtatious banter. And for a moment, it felt as tough nothing had changed between them.

"Yeah," Beca grinned, "something like that."

Their natural flow was coming back again, and Chloe smirked, letting her eyes fall before dragging them back up Beca's figure in an alluring fashion.

"You're on, Mitchell."

The couple positioned themselves at the end of the track and Chloe jerked her hair to the side to look over at her girlfriend.

"Remember," she said, capturing the brunette's attention, "save your energy for the end. Pace yourself."

Beca took in the Chloe's advice, feeling her chest heat up with affection at her genuineness, and nodded.

Chloe counted them down, "On your mark, get set–"

It was time to test out that theory.

"Go!"

They took off at the same time and Beca bolted forward, as usual. She was quick to correct herself, however, and slowed down her speed until she was running at a much easier pace. Chloe eventually passed her, taking the lead and triggering Beca's natural instinct to pick up her momentum and repass her. But Beca remembered what Chloe had said and forced herself to be patient and wait.

The final turn came and Beca smirked at her window of opportunity. She inhaled a deep breath and refueled her inner fire. With the spark of new found energy, Beca's legs remarkably ran faster and she smiled when Chloe quickly grew closer to her.

Beca passed her girlfriend with ease and only increased her pace, surprised that she didn't feel as exhausted as she usually did by this point of a race.

Chloe was right.

Before Beca knew it, she had crossed the finished line and jogged to a stop. Aside from her chest and shoulders rising and falling with every breath she took, Beca remained still, amazed.

She had just won.

A few moments later, Chloe panted to a stop behind her, and when the brunette still hadn't move, she grew worried.

"Um," Chloe breathed, "Beca?"

The sound of her name snapped Beca out of her daze and she quickly spun around with a smile that almost looked too wide for her face.

"I did it," she said.

Chloe smiled back, "You did."

"I did it," Beca repeated, her grin falling as her mind processed her success. She was suddenly overwhelmed with joy at the realization that she may have finally found a way to possibly beat Luke on Friday. This could be the answer.

The wide smile returned then, gradually spreading across Beca's lips and in the excitement she grabbed Chloe's face to pull her in for a quick, but loving, kiss.

They both giggled when they separated, and Beca wanted the moment to last; To freeze completely in time, if possible, but unfortunately, life had a different turn of events.

Chloe reached up and removed Beca's hands, despite her still genuine smile and light tone, her actions hit hard for Beca.

It was happening again.

"Becs," Chloe started, lowering Beca's arm as she glanced around, "I know you're excited, but remember–" Beca's excitement came crashing down at the unwanted and annoyingly familiar, "We're at school."

And then that was it. Beca couldn't go through this again, and this time, something inside of her finally snapped.

The track star dropped her head, softly shaking it in disbelief and huffing a short breath before a quiet, "I can't do this anymore," fell from her lips. She let go of Chloe's hands and the redhead could only furrow her brow in confusion.

"What–" Chloe focused her eyes, "What do you mean you can't do this anymore?"

Beca sucked in a gasp as she fought back her tears. She refused to let Chloe see her like that again.

"This!" Beca suddenly snapped, lifting her head back up to meet the cheerleader's gaze. "Us!" she continued, gesturing between them, "I can't do this with you anymore!"

And now it was Chloe's turn to feel tears burning at the edges of her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I-I don't understand, Becs. Why are you saying that?" She reached for the brunette, but Beca jerked herself away.

"Stop calling me 'Becs'! God–" Beca could feel her body heating up as the anger rose from the pit of her stomach to the center of her chest, tightening her lungs to the point where she felt like she couldn't breath. "You clearly don't want to be in a relationship with me anymore, so, so..." Beca knew she should have stopped, but she couldn't. Her frustrations had been bottled up for so long, that now, it was almost impossible for her to stop them from flying out of her mouth.

"You don't get to call me 'Becs' anymore!"

Chloe didn't even bother holding back her tears. They fell without care and she could feel the heat of them trickling down her reddened cheeks, tasting how salty they were when they reached her lips.

But besides being hurt from Beca's explosion, Chloe was also still very confused and shook her head.

"What do you mean I don't want to be in a relationship with you anymore? Of course I do!"

"Bullshit."

It came out impulsively and Beca regretted it instantly. But the damage was done. The fuel was added to the fire and now there was no way of stopping this fight.

The curse word pierced Chloe's heart. She couldn't believe Beca would say such a thing to her. It hurt. And Chloe still couldn't register why and how her relationship was so rapidly coming to an end.

"What?" She said, now furrowing her brow in indignation, "How can you say that!?"

"Easily!" Beca snapped back, not missing a beat, "Every time I try to be affectionate with you, you reject me because," And sure, it may have been childish for Beca to mimic Chloe when she said, _"we're in public,"_ but at this point, the more reasonable part of Beca's brain was on hiatus.

Chloe narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me?" Beca knew she must have struct a nerve. Chloe was growing louder and angrier by the second. "Exactly what are you mad about? This _whole_ arrangement was **your** idea. Did you forget?"

Chloe had a point. But was Beca going to admit it?

"Hey! Don't blame this on me, this was your idea too!"

Nope.

Chloe was taken aback for the slightest second, "Okay…" she said, her voice only a fraction lower, "Maybe I agreed to it, yes." And then she was back, taking a confident step forward and resisting the urge to point at her, "But it was **you** that thought of it in the first place!"

Beca stood there. This was it. This was her chance to finally stop beating around the bush and just tell Chloe what had been bothering her for the past few weeks. It was time to be honest.

"Okay, fine." Beca said, calming her previously elevated tone and crossing her arms in a firm stance. "I don't want us to be a secret anymore."

Chloe's agitated expression suddenly softened and her body relaxed as a permeated silence fell between them. Their eyes searched each other and although Beca maintained her adamant attitude, her insides were violently twisting as she waited for Chloe to say something, anything.

It felt like an eternity, but eventually, Chloe's mouth started to open, "You–" she hesitated, making Beca's heart beat hard in her chest with anticipation, "You want us… to come out? …To tell people?"

It wasn't the response Beca was hoping for, but it also wasn't the worst. Chloe almost seemed scared. Of exactly what, Beca wasn't sure, but she uncrossed her arms and relaxed, pushing her anger aside.

"Yeah. I mean," Beca found herself tumbling back into the nerves she would usually get around Chloe, "wasn't that always the plan?"

Chloe blinked, "Yeah, it was, but–" This wasn't how Beca imagined things going, "Isn't it too soon?"

Beca's brow creased, "Too soon? How is it too soon? We've been secretly dating for like," she looked up at the sky for a moment, her thumb and pointer finger coming up as she counted in her head, "three months now."

The small chuckle that escaped Chloe came off a little more rude than she had intended, "It's really only been, like, two." And Beca found herself getting offended again by the unknowing redhead.

"Really?" Beca's eyes were narrowed, "That's your response?" And then she scoffed, eyes rolling as her sarcasm returned, "Forgive me for not getting the exact time right, but my point is, that it's been a pretty long time."

Chloe just looked at her, "Beca," she said, "two months isn't a long time." She shrugged and shook her head, "It's practically nothing."

 _"Practically nothing?"_ Beca snapped, "Chloe, in two months I went from not knowing anyone, to having a pretty decent amount of friends." A small smile suddenly curved on her lips at the thought of them, "They're weird, and annoying sometimes, but, I like them… a lot."

"Beca–"

"Wait, I'm not done." The track star interjected, continuing, "In two months, I learned how to make cupcakes and cookies from scratch." Her head jerked to the side, "Pretty good cookies too."

Chloe snickered, "You burnt them."

"Hey," Beca crossed her arms over her chest, "that was only because I got distracted by Amy when she accidentally spilled her flour all over the counters." Chloe giggled at the memory, but Beca still wasn't done with her speech.

She uncrossed her arms and stared at Chloe, gazing into her light eyes with an expression Chloe couldn't quite peg. Beca took a step forward.

"Chloe…" She reached for the redhead's hands, holding them gently as she took in a breath, "In two months, I–" She hesitated, struggling to swallow her nerves, but Beca knew in her heart that this was something Chloe needed to hear. She cleared her throat, starting again, "In two months, I fell in love with this crazy, talented," Beca squeezed her hands, " _beautiful_ redhead, who showed me that it was okay to trust people again."

Chloe didn't say anything. Her mouth was slightly opened and her eyes were glossing with tears, but Beca wasn't sure if that was a good or bad response. Unsure, and with a few more seconds of silence, Beca decided to continue.

"Who showed me that, I can open up to someone and know that everything was going to be okay. _You_ showed me that, Chloe." She squeezed her hands again, stepping even closer and lowering her voice to almost a whisper, "So, please…" Beca brought their foreheads together, "Let me show everyone else that too."

Chloe couldn't speak. Well, not right away at least. For a while all she could do, was think. Think about Beca and what her heavy request could mean for the both of them. Think about her friends, or more specifically Aubrey, and how she would find out that Chloe was blatantly lying to her the entire time. She even thought about Tom and feared what his possible reaction could be.

It was almost too much for Chloe to comprehend. Her mind was reeling with conflicting thoughts and emotions, and she wasn't sure which one she was suppose to choose. Of course she wanted to be with Beca, she loved Beca. There was no denying that. But there were other factors surrounding them that, to Chloe, just couldn't be ignored.

Chloe bit her bottom lip as her eyes began to water and Beca could instantly feel panic wash over her at the expression.

"Chlo?" She said, her eyes flicking over Chloe's in search of an answer that she was afraid to find. Beca wasn't sure what Chloe was feeling or thinking. She had laid herself bare, vulnerable. And the thought of having it all go to waste, so to speak, was absolutely terrifying.

A brief, strangled sound finally escaped Chloe's parted lips, "I–" and a tear fell from her eye, "Beca…" The brunette was shaking with anticipation, "I can't."

Beca released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and she let go of Chloe's hands. Her body deflated as the crushing words pierced through her heart and she took a step back.

"Wow…"

Chloe's tears began to fall faster as she reached for the track star, "Beca, wait. Please. Just let me explain."

But Beca didn't care. She jerked her hand away and shook her head. Her world began to spin around her chaotically and her breathing increased to a state of hyperventilation. She felt sick, like she had been punched in the gut by an MMA fighter. Nothing made sense and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Beca snapped her head back up to stare at Chloe. Her eyes were glistening with tears and her expression was daunting. Her brow was furrowed with anger, but her eyes revealed a deep suffering coming from within. Chloe had never seen Beca like this, and her heart sank knowing that she was the cause of it.

"Beca–" Chloe tried again, but the track star squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head again, this time more violently. "Beca, please," Chloe begged, stepping towards her, "just let me–"

 **"No!"**

Chloe jumped back at the outcry, startled by Beca's frightening tone, and she watched in pain as the brunette turned and sprinted away.

"Beca…" Chloe mourned, her hand still extended as the track star grew smaller and smaller in sight. Once she couldn't see Beca anymore, Chloe released a distressing cry and curled up as she fell to her knees. "I'm so sorry…"

Chloe had never experienced pain like this before. It was awful. She felt like she had just lost a part of herself. Like a piece of her heart had literally been ripped out of her, and there was nothing she could do to fix it.

* * *

Beca didn't even bother changing in the locker. Instead, she power walked her way to a bathroom located in the quad and changed in one of the stalls; occasionally wiping the tears from her eyes so she could see properly.

Beca refused to let anyone else see her in such a vulnerable state, so she waited in that stall until the first bell rang. Stepping out, she noticed her reflection in the mirror and sighed at the depressing sight. Luckily there was no one else in the bathroom with her, so Beca took a moment to clean herself up.

She wiped away any left over tears and splashed some cold water on her face, hoping the redness would gradually go away. She wasn't in much of a mood to really try on her makeup, so she applied some quick eyeliner, and put on some shades she had thankfully brought to school with her that day.

One last look at herself and Beca was content enough with her appearance to carry on. It was perfect, but it was enough to get her by, though deep down all Beca wanted to do was go home and lock herself in her room.

She walked to first period and carelessly dropped down onto her chair, folding her arms over her desk and resting her chin on top of them. Fat Amy entered the room shortly after and greeted her miserable friend with a familiar smile.

"Hey, Shortstack," she said, taking her seat.

Beca didn't move, "Hi, Amy." Her monotone response instantly set off Amy's alarms, but the Aussie didn't want to jump to conclusions and decided to assume that maybe Beca was just tired again.

Amy glanced at her and chuckled, "What's with the sunnies? Is it too bright for ya in here?" She was expecting a lighter reaction, maybe even a laugh from the brunette, but instead, Beca just shrugged.

The response triggered Amy's curiosity and worry again. She knew something was bothering Beca. But before Amy could get another word in, the second bell rang and their teacher started their class.

As the lesson went on, Fat Amy would occasionally glance at Beca through the corner of her eye. The track star appeared to be _really_ down in the dumps, so Amy waited for an opportunity to find out what was wrong. When Mr. Selby granted them fifteen minutes of quiet time to finish an outline worksheet, Amy took the convince and leaned over closer to Beca.

"Oy, Beca," she whispered, and the track star glanced at her, "Are you alright?"

And though the sunglasses were covering most of Beca's upper features, Amy could still see that her brows furrowed negatively and noticed that her jaw had slightly clenched.

"I'm fine," was Beca's firm response. But Amy wasn't buying it.

"Oh, come on," she said, checking to make sure Mr. Selby wasn't looking at them before leaning closer, "You can't fool me. I know there's somefin' wrong with you."

Beca's emotions weren't very manageable at the moment, and she struggled to keep her frustration under control.

"I said I'm fine." She hoped that Amy would get the hint. Beca didn't actually want to snap at her. But the stubborn Aussie continued to pry.

"Was it what I said about your glasses? Cause if it is then, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to–"

 **"I SAID I'M FINE!"** Beca shouted, slamming her fist into her desk and standing up, surprising her fellow classmates and scaring her blonde friend– who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Miss Mitchell!" Came out of Mr. Selby's mouth and Beca was quickly jolted back to reality. "Will you wait for me outside, please?"

Beca scowled and picked up her things, not bothering to acknowledge Fat Amy again as she walked. A few immature _"oohs"_ rang out amongst the class and Beca's anger was instantly refueled.

"Shut up!" She snapped, and Mr. Selby stood up.

"Enough! Go outside."

Beca huffed in frustration and pushed the door so hard, it practically flew open. She crossed her arms and leaned against a nearby was as she waited for her lecture, impatiently. Mr. Selby eventually came out and she glared at him adversely.

"Are you alright?" He asked, genuinely concerned and shutting the door behind him. "You've never acted up in my class like this before."

Beca groaned, " _Why_ does everyone keep asking me if I'm alright? I'm totally fine!"

The taller man looked at her doubtfully, "Clearly you are not. And I don't appreciate the tone you're using with me right now."

"Well I don't appreciate you prying into my business," Beca bit back, boldly leaning off of the wall to glare at him face to face.

"Miss Mitchell," he said a little more firmly, his patience wearing thin, "I'm trying to help you out here. You need to calm down."

Beca's better half was advising her to listen to the man and stop acting like a brat, but Beca was not in a listening mood and was choosing to let her emotions get the better of her.

"And _you_ need to leave me the hell alone!"

"Alright," Mr. Selby said, "I've had enough. If you don't want my help then perhaps Mr. Smith would be more appealing to you."

Beca uncrossed her arms, instantly regretting her choices, "Wait, what?"

"You heard me," he said, reopening his door and pointing a finger down the hall, "To the principal's office."

* * *

Beca had never been to the principal's office for something serious before. Sure there was the one time in middle school when they called her up as a witness to a fight that had broken out, but she never counted that as something "serious" considering it wasn't even her fight. Then there was that one time in ninth grade when she was called up to accept a "Perfect Attendance" award– which also turned out to be a pretty eventful year. But other than those two times, Beca had never visited the one in charge.

And now here she was, slouching in grey padded chair and chewing on the inside of her cheek as she waited hotly for her name to be called. There were no other students waiting when she got there and it took about half an hour for whoever had been there first to finally leave.

Mr. Smith's door opened and Beca was surprised to see that it was Lily who had been in there all this time. She wondered what such a quiet girl could have possibly done to get in trouble, but when Beca made out the words "Biology" and "experiment" come from the older man's mouth, she figured it was probably best that she didn't ask.

The Asian girl simply nodded in response and turned to walk out the door. She recognized Beca and smiled at her before exited all the way out, and Beca could feel her stomach start to knot when she realized it was now her turn.

"Beca Mitchell." The track star looked up at the sound of her name and stood up when Mr. Smith gestured for her to follow him inside. Beca was still annoyed about the entire situation, though she knew it was really her fault, but she decided to chill herself out a bit. She wasn't exactly looking to get suspended or anything. After all, she still had a race to win on Friday.

"Have a seat." The man said, and Beca did just that. He sat down in his chair with a sigh and hummed a melodic tune as he opened and looked over her file. Beca played with her fingers in her lap, a nervous tick if you will, and looked around the room as she waited with anticipation for what he was going to say next.

She noticed the man's full name written on a placard; John Smith. And she noticed he had a lot of posters put up. They all had something to do with music– the musical notes on most of them being evidence of that– and on one of them, Beca could read the word 'Aca-pella' printed on it.

It felt like an eternity, but after a few minutes, Mr. Smith finally looked up at her and folded his hands.

"So, what is it?" Beca's attention was brought back to the light eyed man and he continued, "Time of the month?"

Beca furrowed her brow, confused, "Uh… What?"

Mr. Smith rolled his eyes with a groan, "Are you pregnant? Come on, it's gotta be one of the two."

Beca just blinked and looked around in bewilderment. Was he being serious? She couldn't tell. She had never encountered a principal so blunt and assumptive.

Beca couldn't find words to reply with, so Mr. Smith continued.

"Look," he said, "you seem like a good kid and you don't have any other offenses written in your record, so I'm going to assume this is just a side effect from your, ya know–" He circled a finger over her uterus area, "lady problems."

Beca sat there, still amazed at the words coming out of the man's mouth, but realizing that this could be her ticket out of a very serious situation. So from what she had just experienced, she decided that staying quiet was her best option.

And sure enough, Mr. Smith continued to speak, "So here's what I'm gonna do." He opened one of his drawers and picked up a small stack of white slips. He began to fill one of them out, "I'm going to let you go home early so you can eat your ice cream, take your Midol, and do whatever it is you gotta do to feel better." He ripped the slip off of the stack and handed it to Beca, "I expect you to come to school with a better attitude tomorrow, capiche?"

Beca looked at him astonished, but slowly nodded her hand as she took the piece of paper.

"Good." He smiled, "Now get out of my office."

Beca still couldn't comprehend everything that had happened as she walked to the front of the school, but she didn't get in trouble and she got to leave early, so she wasn't going to complain. Although, she did still wonder how in the hell a man like _that_ became principal of a high school.

Beca shrugged the thought away and continued her way home, looking forward to locking herself in her bedroom and hoping that her music would be loud enough to keep all thoughts of Chloe out of her head.

* * *

It had been a hard day for Chloe, but she had managed to keep herself together for most of it. Her friends had noticed a change in her persona, after all, it _was_ a pretty obvious change, but when people asked questions, Chloe would give them a false explanation, and thankfully, they would eventually leave her alone.

But when the bell for fourth period came around, Chloe began to panic. She wasn't sure what she was going to do or say when she saw Beca again. They were partners and they were most likely going to work on a class assignment together, which Chloe already knew would probably be a horrible experience. She had never seen or dealt with Beca when she was this upset before, and the thought of having to was very intimidating.

Chloe gripped tightly onto her binder as she approached the classroom door. Her stomach was twisting in knots and she had to focus on her knees so they wouldn't buckle and make her fall right there on the spot. With a deep breath Chloe finally took the plunge and opened the door.

She was expecting Beca to glare at her angrily, or maybe not even look at her at all. but what Chloe wasn't expecting, was for Beca to be absent. Chloe blinked at the empty chair and casually scanned the room as she walked to their table. Beca was no where in sight and when the second bell rang Chloe immediately fear the possible explanations.

Ms. Gail had started the lesson with no delay, but Chloe couldn't focus on anything but the whereabouts of her beloved Beca. She needed answers and she needed them fast. Chloe didn't want to text the brunette, because lets face it, she probably wouldn't respond anyway. So Chloe had to settle for her second best option.

"Psst… Amy." The Australian girl heard her name being whispered and looked over at the source.

"Hey, Chloe."

The cheerleader didn't have time for small talk and went straight to the point, "Do you know where Beca is?"

"Oh…" Fat Amy's face fell and Chloe's worries only increased in strength, "She got sent to the principal's office today."

The news was unexpected, "What? Why?"

Amy nodded, "Yeah. She freaked out in English class when I asked what was wrong with her and she got in trouble." She shrugged, "Haven't seen her since."

Chloe sat back in her seat in shock. She knew Beca was upset, but she never thought that her emotions would get her into trouble like that. Chloe's mind raced with questions. Did she get suspended? Did she get expelled? It was all very upsetting and Chloe felt horrible about it.

It was _her_ fault that Beca had gotten so upset. It was _her_ fault that Beca freaked out during her first period class. It was **her** fault that Beca wasn't sitting next to her at that same moment.

It was all her fault…

But Chloe had never meant for any of this to happen. She had never meant to hurt Beca the way she had that morning, and the reminder of it made Chloe's heart ache.

All she wanted was some more time. That was all. Just a little more time. Why couldn't Beca see that?

Chloe continued to sit there practically frozen in place, her mind lost in her overwhelming thoughts. Tears were begging to be released from her eyes, but Chloe knew that cooking class wasn't the time or place to be crying. She still had to get through lunch, another class, **and** cheer practice.

No. Chloe was going to have to wait until she got home to let it all out.

Chloe hoped that Beca was alright and that she would return to school the following day so she could at least see her beautiful face. She hoped that nothing was permanently broken between them and they could fix any damage that was done. Chloe hoped that Beca would somehow forgive her and grant them a second chance at their relationship.

But that was all Chloe could really do at that point.

Hope.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Did you brace yourselves?**


	29. A Mission Failed

**Author's 1st Note: Please don't hate me for the wait, (though I totally wouldn't blame you guys if you did).**

 **I guess the good news is, I thought I was going to finish this story in the next 3 chapters, but as I continue to write, this story just keeps adding more and more to itself and now I feel like it's going to be a couple more chapters longer. Plus I'll be doing an Epilogue. So, there's that.**

 **Anyway, thank you guys so much for your support and your comments. You really do make a difference and keep me motivated.**

 **You guys rock. Hope you like the chapter. :)**

* * *

A long afternoon of being locked in her room left Beca's father with worry about his daughter's well being. He had received a call from Mr. Smith about her early leave, but when Mr. Mitchell questioned his daughter, a simple, "It's a female thing," settled his concerns and he left her alone.

Beca couldn't sleep that night. She tossed and turned with staggering thoughts in her mind and her pillow case stained with droplets of tears that fell every so often. Her stomach churned in knots and her heart ached with a pain that was almost unbearable. Beca knew her past had a horrible habit of repeating itself, but she had honestly hoped and believed that her relationship with Chloe was going to be different. That **Chloe** was different.

But it turned out she was wrong.

It was hard waking up the following morning. Beca had forgotten to turn off her usual alarm and awoke to the reminder of what her typical morning routine consisted of. She wanted to skip her workout completely and try to sleep in instead. But Beca's track meet was _the_ _next day._ Her pride and reputation were on the line, and at this point, that was more important than her unruly emotions.

Beca's body felt weak with sleep deprivation, but her anger and frustration provided enough fuel to get herself up, pack her bags, and make her way to school. She wondered if Chloe was still going to show up on the track field and didn't want to risk an encounter with her. Barden High was fairly large– it's perimeter expanding to about four blocks– so Beca decided running around it would be a good replacement.

She hid her bags in one of the bushes by the main entrance and stuck her ear buds in, raising the volume of her music to it's highest setting before finally beginning her workout.

* * *

Chloe's night had been moderately similar to Beca's– lacking in sleep but prolonging in despair. She felt horrible, almost disgusted with herself. She couldn't accept how badly she had hurt Beca and didn't understand why she had done it in the first place. Beca meant **everything** to her. _Why_ did she let her insecurities dictate her actions? _Why_ did she choose her fear of other's opinions over her love for Beca? _Why_ did she reject the **one** person who made her happiest in this world?

 **Why?**

It didn't make sense.

When her alarm went off, Chloe was immediately filled with hope that Beca would still show up for their traditional morning routine. Her conscience said otherwise, but Chloe still hoped for a possible interaction with the track star, and walked to school with a tightness of anticipation lingering in her chest.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed when she couldn't find Beca anywhere near or around the track and field. Chloe knew it was going to be highly unlikely that Beca would have shown up anyway, but Chloe was still desperate for a chance to talk and apologize to Beca for what she had done to her. All she wanted was to fix things.

Fix what she had regrettably broken.

Chloe stood there, waiting. Waiting for something she knew wasn't going to come. It wasn't long until she eventually sat down on the bleachers to sulk, lacking any motivation to do much else.

Hunched over, with her elbows braced on her knees and her head perched between two fists, Chloe kept her eyes fixated on the ground as her mind wandered over thoughts about everything Beca. She stayed like this for a while, until unanticipated movement caught her attention through her upper peripheral vision. Chloe looked up in curiosity and gasped at the sight.

 _Beca._

The track star had made it halfway around the school and was jogging by the track field at a steady pace. She was so focused on her conditioning that she hadn't even thought about looking onto the field to check and see if Chloe was there. But the cheerleader was gazing right at her through the chain linked fence and her demeanor immediately sank in sadness.

Beca was there, right in front of her. She was a few feet away, but she was still **right there.** All Chloe had to do was get up and run after her. It would have been easy for Chloe to catch up to her, there was no doubt. But Chloe suddenly felt stuck, frozen. This wasn't the right time to approach Beca. She knew that.

Despite her desperate longing, Chloe fought back the urge and sat there, eyes watering as Beca continued to run by. Chloe knew she had to fix things. She wanted to. But how, Chloe wasn't sure.

After a handful of laps, Beca came to a stop in front of the school and checked the time. She hadn't seen Chloe all morning, not that she had been looking, so Beca contemplated wether or not she should go to the locker room. She knew there would still be a risk of running into her ex-girlfr– _Chloe_ , but Beca had built up a good sweat and she knew that if she didn't shower before her classes, she would feel gross the rest of the day.

It was a weighted decision, with deep consideration, but Beca chose to give it a try. She collected her bags from behind the bush and cautiously made her way to the locker room.

Chloe was still seated at the bleachers, finding it impossible to leave knowing she could see Beca go by every couple of minutes. But after ten minutes without the appearance of the track star, Chloe noted the time and assumed Beca had probably finished with her workout.

With a heavy sigh, Chloe stood up from her seat and gathered her things. She didn't want to carry her cheer equipment all day, so she figured a quick stop by the locker room would help relieve the extra weight. Leaving her things in her locker was what she usually did anyway. It hadn't even occurred to Chloe that Beca might already be in there.

That is until she entered the room and heard her familiar voice echoing from the showers.

Chloe froze in place but still managed to grab the door before it could fully close. She carefully eased it into it's latch and quietly moved to press her back onto a nearby wall. Despite the loud thumping of her heart beating in her ears, Chloe could still hear Beca softly singing and instantly recognized song.

 _"Ricochet, you take your aim…"_

The redhead sighed and closed her eyes, her head falling back onto the wall as she savored the sweet sound. Beca was singing the same song Chloe **always** sang in the shower.

 _"Fire away, fire away…"_

Beca had a beautiful singing voice– wether she was aware of it or not. Chloe had heard her sing a few times during their relationship, and now more than ever did Chloe wish she would have told Beca just how talented she was.

Chloe could hear Beca open the shower curtain and turn the water on. And sure, secretly listening to your ex singing in the shower was probably two steps above stalker, but Chloe couldn't help it. She missed listening to that wonderfully sweet voice. It wasn't until a few tears welled in her eyes that Chloe had finally had enough and left the vicinity, no longer bothering with making her presence unknown.

The sound of the heavy door closing startled Beca and she immediately stopped singing. She wiped the water from her face and anxiously listened for another sound, _any_ sound. But the only thing Beca could hear was the flowing water hitting the tile floor, and her breathing increasing in pace.

As the silence continued, Beca grew more panicked. It took her a few more moments before she could finally get out a, "Hello?"

Her voice rang in the stall and echoed throughout the room. But no other voice came back in return. Beca hadn't received an answer, but when she thought about it, Beca realized she didn't really need one. Wether it was a vibe in the air, or a strong intuition, Beca knew deep inside who was responsible for the sudden noise.

"Chloe?" She called out, peeking her head out of the shower curtain, but finding no one in sight.

* * *

First period came and Beca found herself standing in front of her classroom door, contemplating wether or not she should go inside. It had only been twenty-four hours since the last time she was in there, arguing with her teacher and snapping at Fat Amy for being a concerned friend. It hadn't gone well.

With a deep breath and a final sigh, Beca braced herself for the class and stepped inside.

She entered the room and tried her best to ignore the way pairs of eyes followed her every move. She kept her gaze focused on her seat, but before she could sit down, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Miss Mitchell."

Beca cringed in place and turned to face her teacher, "Yes?"

"Can you please step outside with me for a moment?"

Beca fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Yeah, sure," and dropped her bags before walking back out of the classroom.

Mr. Selby closed the door behind them, "How are you feeling today?" He asked.

 _Shitty._

"Fine," Beca said. It was a flat response, but it was the best she could do.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Selby continued before Beca could respond, "I received a call from Mr. Smith yesterday. He informed me that you weren't feeling well and that your outburst was a mere..." He hesitated, searching for the right phrase, "hormonal conniption."

Mr. Selby must have known how ridiculous that sounded, because his face briefly contorted with befuddlement before he finished with, "Either way, I wanted to check in on you and see how you were doing."

Beca had to give the man credit. He may have been a boring teacher, but even Beca could appreciate his genuine concern for his students. It was nice having that quality in a teacher.

She avoided eye contact with the man, but instead of continuing a disrespectful attitude, Beca sighed and responded came back with, "I'm fine."

Mr. Selby quirked a brow, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Beca she said nicely, shifting her eyes to finally look at him, "I'm good." _Not really_ , "Thanks, Mr. Selby."

He looked at her skeptically, questioning the authenticity of her tight smile. But Mr. Selby ultimately accepted Beca's answer and expressed a much more endearing smile in return.

"Well, alright then." He opened the door and extended a guiding hand inside, "After you." Beca nodded and made her way back to her seat.

It was easier to ignore the ocean of eyes following her this time, but it still wasn't a comfortable feeling and Beca gritted her teeth in frustration. She reclaimed her seat and her peers finally stopped staring once Mr. Selby started his lesson for the day.

Beca sat with her head lowered onto her crossed arms, only half paying attention to what her teacher was referring to on the board. It wasn't until a familiar voice spoke up next to her that had Beca snapping out of her thoughts.

"Ya know," Amy started, keeping her voice low and her eyes focused on her paper, "I would ask how you're doin', but I'm scared you might bite my head off like a rabid dingo."

Beca closed her eyes and a small laugh escaped her. She turned her head to look at the Aussie, who was now looking right back at her, and the corner of her mouth weakly curved up in a soft smile.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you yesterday."

Amy shrugged, "It's okay. I'm sure it won't be the last time." And then she smirked, "I'm pretty nosy."

Another small chuckle fell from Beca's lips before she sat up right and offered a promising, "Tell you about it after class?"

Amy smiled, "Sure, short stack."

When first period ended, Beca grabbed Amy's wrist and dragged her to the nearest bathroom. She tried her best to summarize what had happened between her and Chloe, struggling to hold back tears that were eager to fall every time she mentioned the redhead's name. It wasn't an easy topic to talk about, but Beca knew she could trust Amy, and after all, it was the _least_ she could do for yelling at her the day before.

"So, yeah…" Beca's eyes stayed focused on her twiddling fingers, "That's why I was so upset yesterday."

Amy didn't respond with words but instead wrapped her arms around the smaller brunette and pulled her in for a comforting hug. She squeezed just a _tad_ too hard, but Beca didn't want to complain and ruin the moment. It was nice. And Beca found herself actually feeling a bit relieved.

"I'm sorry things with gingah didn't work out." Beca shrugged and still didn't look up at her, so Fat Amy tried a different approach, "Hey, don't let this take away from your self-confidence, alright? You're still awesome!" She nudged the brunette for effect.

Beca still appeared defeated, so Amy continued, "Do you need some of my confidence? Cause I could maybe tone my down a notch."

"What?" Beca's eyes shifted up in time to see Amy rubbing her hands and she flinched when the blonde suddenly reached for her, grazing her hand down Beca's arm.

Beca quirked a curious brow, "Uh, okay?"

"Wait," Amy said, "there's more." She reached under her armpit and although the gesture was kind of gross, Beca knew she was trying to be endearing.

Beca held back a laugh, "It comes from there?" She asked questionably, choosing to embrace Amy's odd ways and allowed her to pat her cheek with the same hand. "Okay."

"Alright, I'm gonna get you the good stuff now." Amy reached back and Beca's eyes widened when she realized where her hand was undoubtably headed.

"No, I don't want your butt confidence." Amy laughed and quickly reached for Beca's face again. The brunette ran, "I don't want your butt confidence!"

* * *

Chloe's day had gone a little different. She didn't have the luxury of sharing her thoughts with a best friend who knew about her situation, so it turned out to be a pretty lonely day for her. Chloe went to Aubrey for everything and it really sucked not being able to go to her for this.

As the class periods dragged on, feeling particularly longer than they usually did, Chloe's acquaintances would ask how she was doing and the redhead would do what she always did; Put on a fake smile and pretend like nothing was wrong. Chloe was a pro at this. But how she actually felt was much worse. An inner turmoil was driving her insane and made her stomach feel like it was twisting in violent knots. She felt sick.

Chloe could only hope that Beca would give her a chance to explain herself and mend things between them. She knew it was a long shot, but it was all Chloe had.

When the bell rang for fourth period to begin, Chloe felt an apprehension tightening in her chest even harder than it had the day before. She was about to come face to face with Beca and Chloe wasn't sure if she was going to be able to keep herself together when she did.

But she had to. Chloe knew this was a chance to fix things and she needed it. So she closed her eyes and opened the classroom door, diving headfirst into the unknown and praying she'll land safely somehow.

When red hair flashed in Beca's peripheral vision, her breath hitched in her throat and it took every bit of Beca's will power not to turn and make eye contact with the source of the fiery, yet familiar, hair color.

Beca became hyperaware of Chloe's presence then, her skin prickling with electricity and her brain totally focused on the cheerleader's every move. But Beca kept her gaze focused on Fat Amy, pretending to still be in a conversation with her, but the Aussie knew Beca's attention had journeyed elsewhere.

Amy glanced over and saw Chloe enter the room. When she looked back at Beca, it seemed as though she had just seen ghost. Her skin was paler than usual and her eyes went wide for a moment as her body tensed. She knew Chloe had some kind of effect on Beca, but **_damn_**. She didn't know it was _this_ bad.

Beca didn't turn around when Chloe sat down next to her, which didn't go unnoticed by the redhead. But Chloe decided to take the opportunity to compose herself and plan her next approach on how to start a conversation with Beca, despite the air between them suddenly getting very, _very_ thick.

It wasn't until the second bell rang and Ms. Gail beginning to talk that Beca finally shifted her body to face the front of the class.

She still didn't look at Chloe.

"Alright guys," Ms. Gail started, "We've been discussing the baking process of a Creme Brûlée this past week and since we don't have enough time to do it all in one day…" She craned her neck to look at the large clock on the wall, "I'm splitting this assignment into a two part project."

The timing of the assignment was kind of unfortunate really. Chloe had always wanted to make a Creme Brûlée, but now her focus could only remain on the silent brunette next to her, which kept her excitement for the project at an all time low.

Ms. Gail continued, "So let's begin. Head over to your work stations and I'll pass out the instructions shortly."

With their teacher's permission the entire class began to stand up and make their way to the kitchen. Chloe glanced over at Beca, who still hadn't acknowledge her, and watched as she too stood up and walked over to their station.

 _Ouch._

It hurt, that was for sure. Chloe felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest and crushed into a million pieces. But she had a mission to accomplish. A mission that was so important, Chloe knew she had bare her tough emotions and face her fears for herself. For **Beca**.

She closed her eyes as she took in a reassuring breath and stood up, following behind the track star's lead.

By the time Chloe made it to their station, Beca was already fishing out the bowls and pots they would need for their assignment. Chloe nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she watched her, fidgeting with her hands and not knowing exactly how she was going to break the ice.

This was harder than she thought it was going to be.

Beca stood up from her crouched position and settled the dishes on the counter. Chloe felt awkward just standing there, so she swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat and thought perhaps now was a good time to speak up.

Chloe cleared her throat, "Hey, Beca… I, um–"

"Here you go guys!" Chloe jumped at the sudden voice and turned to find Ms. Gail handing her a small packet, a brilliantly smile spread across her face. "Good luck!"

Chloe took the papers, briefly smiling back as she watched her teacher walk away. But before Chloe could even get a look at the instructions, a sudden snatching startled her once again and in the blink of eye the packet was no longer in her hands.

Chloe pivoted around to see Beca reading the instructions, seemingly unfazed by what she had just done. Chloe was a little befuddled at the rude gesture, but she put a pause on her natural instinct to get angry, and instead, understood that Beca was still very upset with her. She had every right to be. And since Beca's attitude was already fairly negative, Chloe didn't want to make it worse.

"Um," Chloe muttered, cautiously reaching for the papers, "I can help with the–"

But Beca jerked them back towards her, "I got it."

 _Okay, rude again…_

Chloe huffed, blowing a piece of her bangs away from her face as she crossed her arms in frustration. This wasn't going to be easy.

She continued to watch, with slight annoyance, at the stubborn brunette as she prepared the mixture. Step by step Beca measured the necessary ingredients and dumped them into a large bowl. It wasn't until she got to the second to last ingredient that Chloe decided to speak up again.

"Listen, Beca," she started, her voice was gentle, "I know you're still upset with me, and I totally understand why. You have every right to be. But I just wanted you to know that I–"

"Chloe…"

The redhead stopped mid sentence and blinked, unsure if she was hearing things, or if Beca had actually spoken. But then Beca sighed heavily through her nose and shifted her body so she could stare right at Chloe. And despite being enthralled that Beca was finally looking at her, Chloe couldn't smile at the resentful expression she was given.

"Don't." Her voice was firm and sharp at the tip, piercing Chloe's heart as she glared at her.

Chloe tried again, "But, Beca I–"

"Seriously, Chloe. I'm not in the mood for this." Beca turned back to face the counter and poured the last ingredient into the bowl.

Okay… **_Now_** Chloe was starting to get irritated.

"Well at least let me help." She said, grabbing the bowl and pulling it away.

Beca's grip on the container tightened, "Hey," and she held it in place, " **I'm** doing the mixing." She glared at the redhead sternly, but Chloe only glared back with equal strength, intimidation now long gone.

"Yeah, but," she tugged the bowl back to her, " **I** wanna help."

Beca gritted her teeth, "I said I got it," she snapped, pulling back her way.

Chloe didn't miss a beat, "But this is a **two** person project, so I'm going to help wether you like it or not."

"I don't want your help!" Beca was growing angrier and she tugged back with even more force. The aggressive gesture continued between the two with every sentence they shot back at each other. Until Beca yanked just a little _too_ hard, and the slimy mixture inside of the bowl splashed out and onto her shirt.

A gasp escaped Chloe and a few other students who had caught the end of their confrontation, and Beca stood frozen with her head down as she stared at the aftermath.

"Oh my..." Ms. Gail said, appearing out of no where and approaching the brunette, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Beca looked up to frown at Chloe, but her apologetic eyes tugged on her heart strings, and her harsh expression eased ever so slightly. She didn't break their staring contest, however, as she slowly placed the bowl back onto the counter and wiped her shirt with the back of her hand.

"It was an accident," she said calmly, which surprised Chloe.

Ms. Gail examined Beca's shirt, "Alright, well try washing it out here, but if its too much, let me know and I'll let you go down to the nurse's office for a loaner shirt."

"It's fine," Beca said, "I have extra clothes in my gym locker. Can I just get one from there?"

Ms. Gail didn't hesitate, "Yes, of course." She said, "Here," and walked over to her desk. "Let me write you a pass."

Chloe was still in a stunned daze at the events that had taken place. She didn't mean for things to spiral so out of control, but it had just been so easy to get caught up in the sudden rush of heated emotions. It was like a snow ball rolling down a hill, gradually getting bigger without anyway of stopping it.

Beca didn't say anything as she followed her teacher and took the pass without looking at anyone else. The class broke out in a few whispers and glances, and it pissed Chloe off. It was none of their business.

* * *

It took Beca almost half an hour to make it back, leaving Chloe to work on the first baking process of their Creme Brûlée by herself. She was sort of thankful for it, though. Focusing on the assignment helped take her mind off of Beca's whereabouts.

By the time she had returned, class was almost over, and Chloe had moved back to her seat at their table. Beca walked in to find the redhead quietly writing something into her notebook. Most of the students had moved back to their usual seats, minus a few stragglers, like Fat Amy and Bumper, who were still finishing up their batters.

Beca took in a breath before making her way to her seat, trying her absolute best to ignore the way her skin heated up the second she sat down next to the cheerleader.

Chloe tensed at Beca's close presence and couldn't resist the way her eyes shifting to glance at her. She had changed from her grey and white t-shirt to a black tank top, and Chloe gulped down the way it made her insides vibrate.

Chloe shook her head and quickly looked back at her notebook, hoping Beca hadn't noticed her actions.

But Beca definitely noticed.

They remained silent until the bell finally rang and a flash of bravery suddenly sparked within Chloe. She didn't want the period to end this way.

"I'm sorry about your shirt," she said, biting her bottom lip nervously as she waited for her to say something.

The track star had already stood up and was heading for the door, but she stopped at the unexpected words and turned her head enough for Chloe to make out the side of her face.

"It's okay." Was all Beca said, then resumed her previous stride that left Chloe with a frustration that fueled a decision she had been holding back since they first started secretly dating.

Chloe picked up her bag and held back tears as she too exited the room. Her first mission had failed miserably, but now she was in pursuit of new one. One she knew **had** to be accomplished.

For it was _long_ overdue.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Awh, shit. What is Chloe gonna do?!**


	30. There's Still a Chance

**Author's 1st Note: Oh man. I feel like you guys are in for a bit of a treat in this chapter. I don't know. I guess you should just brace yourselves for anything. lol**

 **Also, I ask that you guys please forgive any grammatical errors or if you find me repeating a lot of the same words or phrases. I have ADHD and it's super hard for me to just sit down and focus on writing a single chapter. All of the chapters are always written over a number days as chunks, or even just small paragraphs at a time. So sometimes I repeat myself cause I forgot what I had already written. haha I do go back once I finish it though and try to read it all together in one sitting like I just did now. (Though now I'm back to the bad habit of doing this super late since it's the only time that it's quiet and I can actually focus) lol**

 **Like, it's literally 5:15 am right now.**

 **(Why am I like this?)**

 **Anywho! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! xD**

* * *

"Aubrey…"

The meticulous blonde spun around at the sound of her name and smiled when she recognized her best friend.

"Hey, Chlo! " She greeted, "You're just in time, I was just telling Stacie about–"

"We need to talk."

Aubrey blinked at the dull tone and furrowed her brow with concern, "Is everything okay?"

Their interaction began to capture the attention of their surrounding peers, so Chloe reached out to grab Aubrey's hand, "Not here." She turned and pulled her best friend along with her as she weaved them both through crowds of students.

They reached a quiet spot, hidden nicely under a set of stairs, and Aubrey quirked a curious eyebrow at her, "Um, Chloe?" The redhead was occupied with scanning the area around them. "What's going on?"

Chloe pivoted back around to finally face her friend, a sense of nervousness already apparent in her eyes. She drew in a calming breath, hoping it help ease her anxiety, but she couldn't resist the way it quivered when she exhaled.

"There's something," She said quietly, "I-I need to tell you…" Chloe dropped her gaze and chewed her lower lip. She had never had to confess something so crucial to Aubrey before. It was staggering and she felt like she was going to throw up.

"Chlo…" Aubrey smiled reassuringly at her best friend and entwined their fingers together, "It's just me." Chloe looked back up to see her, which only made her heart sink further down into her stomach."You can tell me anything."

Chloe maintained the eye contact as tears began to well up in her eyes. She shook her head as she struggled to get the right words out. They were there, stuck somewhere in the back of her throat, but they were battling severely to be released from their restraints.

"Hey," Aubrey said gently, tightening her grip around Chloe's hands. "It's okay, Chlo. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm here for you." She tried her best to assure her friend that she was safe and secure, but fear was still so evident in the redhead's eyes. It worried Aubrey.

She and Chloe had been best friends since middle school. They had had countless meaningful talks and even a few fights. But nothing could ever get between them. Aubrey and Chloe always had each other's backs and they knew that together, they could make it through anything.

But then a small tear escaped from Chloe's eye and rolled down her cheek, along with the faith that this too, wouldn't come between them. She eventually gained enough confidence to begin the much needed, but possibly devastating, discussion, and Chloe detested the way it felt like she was plunging into an inevitable death.

"Okay…" Chloe took back her hands for a moment to wiped away any mascara that may have been running before slipping them back into her best friend's grasp. "Remember when we were at Billy's Burger Joint a few months ago and you took me outside to talk about Beca?"

Aubrey crinkled her forehead with interest, "Yeah…" she drawled.

Chloe nodded nervously with a sniffle, "Well this is about her."

An assumption crossed Aubrey's mind then, but she really didn't want to believe it. There was no way this conversation was going where she feared it was. Because, Chloe wouldn't do that to her. Chloe wouldn't–

"I lied to you."

It was quiet and weak, but still loud enough for Aubrey to register. Chloe could feel her hands stiffen against hers, a strange heat suddenly emanating from them. But she bravely continued anyway. Aubrey needed to know the truth.

"I lied to you when I said I didn't break up with Tom because of Beca, because…" Her shoulders came up with another disconcerting shake of her head. "I did. Beca and I have been secretly dating for months now." Chloe's expression then became contemplative. "And actually, now that I think about it, we officially started dating that same night."

It took her a second to realize how bad that sounded and she widened her eyes. "I'm sorry! I swear I'm not trying to make this sound worse, but I just–" Sorrow suddenly washed over her, "You were **so** upset about the idea of me being with Beca, that I…" Chloe shrugged, "I just couldn't tell you."

Aubrey still hadn't moved or said anything. She just stood there. Mouth ajar, hands still laced with Chloe's and eyes glistening with approaching tears. Chloe knew she was processing the news, but when Aubrey still didn't speak for another minute or so, Chloe started to panic.

"I'm sorry, Aubrey! Please don't be mad!" She stepped closer, "You have to understand, I didn't _want_ to lie to you! But I had to. I–" Chloe's shoulders sank with the rest of her demeanor and her head dropped, ashamed, "I didn't know what else to do…"

They stayed in that position for what felt like an eternity. But then Chloe felt Aubrey's hands slowly remove themselves from hers, and she lifted her head up. A small and hopeful smile faintly curved at the corner of Chloe's mouth as she waited for Aubrey to say something, hopefully understanding.

But then a tear fell from her eye, and she took a step back.

Chloe's face fell, "Aubrey…"

The blonde shook her head, another tear running down her cheek as she continued to step backwards.

"Aubrey, wait–" Chloe reached for her friend, but Aubrey jerked her hands back, anger flashing it's ugly expression across her face when she looked at her. Aubrey turned and started walking away, but Chloe was quick on her feet and followed right behind her.

"Aubrey, wait!"

The blonde unexpectedly turned back around. "No!" Luckily Chloe's natural reflexes stepped in and stopped her in time before she could accidentally run into her. "Seriously, Chloe? What the hell!" Tears burned in both of their eyes now and Aubrey's face was at least two shades redder. It was frightening. Chloe had never seen Aubrey so upset with her before.

"You **blatantly** lie to me for _months_ about having a relationship with her, and now you expect me to just accept it and move on like, 'Oh, okay! Everything's fine now!"

Chloe couldn't believe her world was crumbling down before her. First she lost Beca and now she was losing her best friend. This could not be real.

Why wasn't she waking up from this nightmare!?

"Aubrey, please!" Chloe pleaded, "I know I lied to you and I'm sorry about that! But if you would just let me–"

"I said, **no!** "

Chloe jumped, startled by Aubrey's sharp tone, and then grimaced when Aubrey surprisingly chuckled. It was so unnecessarily sadistic that Chloe could feel her stomach lurch with distaste.

"How do I know you're not just going to lie to me again? I asked you _more than once_ about your relationship with–" Aubrey hesitated. Her eyes darted around as she noticed a handful of students suddenly paying attention to their, rather loud, argument, and despite being **furious** with Chloe, she knew it would be extremely wrong of her to out her this way.

Aubrey rolled her watery eyes, "With, **_her_**. And every, single time I did, you lied to me." She hadn't realized she had been hunched over and pointing at Chloe like some parent scolding their child, but when she did, Aubrey corrected her posture and straightened herself out before finishing. "I'm over it." She turned back around and continued to walk away without another word, leaving Chloe with an emptiness that was severely wounding to her heart.

She didn't bother going after her. There was really no point in doing so. Aubrey had made herself clear. Chloe had lied to her, and it wasn't right, and now she was going to have to deal with the consequences.

Chloe had never felt more alone.

* * *

The rest of the day carried on. Normal to everyone else, but secretly miserable for two girls who's names rhymed with _"Bhloe"_ and _"Steca."_

Chloe had managed to keep other people's suspicions low. When asked about her red, puffy eyes, Chloe would simply put the blame on allergies.

Beca on the other hand was just grateful she still hadn't made a lot of friends at this school yet. It kept her socializing to a minimum, which was a relief considering it would be exhausting to put up a front with every new person that came up to her. Unfortunately for Chloe, that was exactly what she had to do the entire day.

Curse her popularity!

When practice came around, Chloe was so emotionally drained, she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to keep up her "I'm totally fine" facade, or if she was going to snap and have an embarrassing break down in front of her whole team.

She walked into the girl's locker room to change but stopped half way in the aisle. Beca was taking a water bottle out of her locker and must have sensed Chloe's presence when her body tensed for a moment. Beca chose to make eye contact with her anyway, despite her more rational side telling her to turn the other way and just walk out of the room.

But there were many emotions that were exchanged between the both of them; pain, longing, desire, anger. Their stare off didn't last long, however. As quickly as Beca had initiated it, she ended it; dropping her gaze with a fallen expression before turning to walk out the door on the other side of the locker room.

Chloe sighed and lugged herself over to her locker, her mind flooding with thoughts of Beca as she changed into her workout attire.

* * *

It was kind of sad, really. Cheerleading was one of Chloe's passions since she was a child and she loved everything about it. The colorful uniforms, the girls flying and flipping up in the air, the flowy skirts and **especially** the pretty bows they got to tie in their hairs.

After years of working her way up the ladder, or _pyramid_ in this case, Chloe had finally become head cheer captain. It was a dream she had longed for since she was eight years old and was thrilled to have finally made it a reality. She loved each and every one of the girls on the squad like they were her sisters and she always looked forward to practicing with them.

But with everything Chloe had so recently lost, it was sad to know that not even her cheer practice could spark any sort of happiness within her.

Though, thankfully, there _was_ one familiar face that could still put a smile on her face.

"Hey, Chlo." Stacie was looking at her with pity in her eyes, but her tone was comforting, which led Chloe to assume that Stacie was already aware of what had happened between her and Aubrey. But thankfully, Stacie never picked sides.

Chloe moved to stand in front of her taller friend, and Stacie was more than willing to open her arms and bring the saddened redhead in for a soothing hug. It was much needed and Chloe smiled when she felt some relief flow through body. She brought her hands up to squeeze Stacie tightly, appreciating the only true friend she had left.

If it wasn't for their coach hollering for everyone to gather around one the field goals, Chloe could have stayed in that embrace forever. But they separated, despite Chloe's wishes, and the estrogen filled group of girls made their way over to their coach.

Chloe couldn't keep her mind from drifting throughout their practice. Every so often her eyes would wander and consistently land on the same person over and over again.

Beca.

The track star was having an internal struggle of her own during practice. She couldn't get Chloe's face out of her head and tried her best to think about other things. But despite her best efforts, Beca's thoughts continued to go back to Chloe and how much she wished their relationship hadn't ended. It was tough resisting the urge to glance across the field and get an actual glimpse of the redhead, but somehow, Beca managed to push those impulses to the back of her mind. After all, she did have a track meet to focus on.

In twenty-four hours Beca was going to be apart of her first track meet at Barden High School. Her nerves about it all just wouldn't settle for anything. Not only was Beca nervous about her overall performance, considering she had her own personal title to live up to, but Beca was also apart of a bet that most of the students had somehow found out about. The results of that bet would decide her future in the social anarchy of this school, and that thought alone was intimidating enough.

Would she rise to the top with the other elite jocks and reign over this budding kingdom?

Or would she fail miserably and be assigned to shoveling horse manure the rest of her high school career?

Beca couldn't be sure and truly feared the unknown. It wasn't like she was going up against an average runner like Jesse. No. Beca's brilliant big mouth just _had_ to get her involved with a bet against, arguably, the best runner she had ever met. And not only was her meager reputation on the line, but there was also a good chance she would be losing fifty bucks!

Why did she have to make that stupid bet with Luke in the first place?

"Ello, Becky."

 _Speak of the devil._

Beca turned to greet the English boy with a devious grin. "Like I said before, Luke. It's _Beca_." She leaned in with her arms up, her thumbs and forefingers forming little 'O's as she emphasized the syllables like she was teaching a toddler how to pronounce her name. " _Beh_. _Kah_."

Luke smirked, "Right. That's what I said." And then he too leaned in closer, mimicking the way Beca had spoken to him. " _Beh_. _Key_."

Beca narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "It's Beca," she said firmly.

Luke crossed his arms as well, continuing the childish game. "Exactly. Becky."

" **Beca**."

" **Becky**."

"Jesus Christ…" Beca chuckled, shaking her head and closing her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose with frustration. This kid was irritating, though she had to admit, going back and forth with him was actually kind of fun. "You're so annoying."

Luke grinned cockily "Yeah, but," and nudged her with his elbow, "you know you like me."

Beca laughed, "I'm gonna like you even more when you come in second place tomorrow." And sure, it probably wasn't a good idea to keep trash talking, but who was she kidding? There was no way she could resist.

Luke didn't seem phased though and instead chose to come back with, "So you **do** like me."

Beca shook her head again with a humorous roll of her eyes.

 _Men._

Around the same time, Chloe was being hoisted up into the air to practice one of her usual stunts; the "Bow n Arrow." She had performed this stunt many times and had finally mastered it just last year. It was a no brainer, to be honest. Chloe and the girls were accustomed to this move and had never failed to perform it.

That is until Chloe began to lift up her leg and made the horrible decision of looking over towards Beca, where she found the smiling brunette and her teammate Luke– wait, **flirting?!**

Woah, woah, woah. Was Beca actually **_flirting_** with Luke? Wasn't she like, not even friends with that guy? There had to be a reasonable explanation as to why they were standing so close and why Beca was grinning like she was actually interested in what he was saying to her. There was no way she liked him. Nope. No way.

Chloe focused her eyes as best as she could as she wobbled in place and watched as the boy said something else. This time adding a wink at the end of his sentence for God knows whatever reason. But instead of Beca telling him off or walking away, she laughed and pushed him playfully.

And what was that thing Chloe's mother had taught her about what it meant when boys and girls touched each other in a playful manor…?

Chloe felt the heatof jealousy suddenly overcome her. "What the fu–" And without warning, her hand slipped from it's grip and the unintentional shift in weight caused her to completely lose her balance. She collapsed onto her girls with a shriek but tried to shift her body in time so she could land on her feet.

An unexpected collision with Stacie's shoulder prevented that plan from succeeding, however, and instead of landing on her feet, Chloe landed on the side of her ankle.

"Ah!" She clutched the pulsating joint as the other cheer girls recovered from the fall as well, but Chloe's groaning only continued and her cries of pain were quickly worrying her teammates.

"Oh my gosh, Chlo!" Stacie crouched down next to her, "Are you alright?"

The commotion became loud and large enough to gain the attention of other athletes on the track and field. One of which who was still chatting with Luke, until her peripheral vision noticed the blur of cheerleaders huddled in a circle and she looked over to see them surrounding someone on the ground.

"What the hell?" Beca moved passed the blonde boy and made her way over to the growing crowd. She watched the cheer coach run up to the group with a panicked expression and she didn't notice the way her feet were beginning to step faster and faster.

Her chest tightened with every step, and Beca tried concentrating her eyes in an attempt to make out who was curled up on the ground. The moment she recognized striking red hair, Beca didn't even bother walking anymore.

She ran.

"Chloe!"

Chloe jerked her head up at the familiar voice, "Beca?" And was thrilled to see her face suddenly appear amongst the crowd.

"Are you okay?" Beca dropped down to her knees and placed a hand at the back of Chloe's head. "What happened?"

Her unexpected appearance and genuine concern were doing things to Chloe's insides that Chloe herself couldn't even describe. She wanted to smile and cry, and hug her, and kiss her, but the throbbing pain in her ankle was a bit overwhelming at the moment and was the only thing she could really react to.

"I fell."

"We were doing a stunt and Chloe lost her balance. She landed on her ankle." Stacie didn't know why she felt like she had to explain for Chloe, but she did, and Beca looked over to where the injury had clearly occurred. She reached her free hand to examine the damage but was cut short when Chloe's coach suddenly stepped in to do it herself.

"Is it broken?" The older woman removed Chloe's hands and the redhead winced at the motion. Beca looked at her uneasily and inched herself closer to her, adding more support to the back of Chloe's head.

"I don't think so." Chloe took advantage of Beca's new position and leaned back into her, extending her leg so her coach could have a better look at it.

"Can you move it?" Chloe bit down on her bottom lip as she cautiously bent her ankle. She gasped when a sharp pain shot up her leg and the crowd to cringed with her. But Chloe was tough and she valiantly tolerated the rest of the pain as she continued to move it all the way down.

Chloe nodded, "It hurts, but I can move it. I think it's just sprained."

"Alright." The older woman stood up and looked at her remaining cheerleaders. "Can one of you girls please escort Chloe to the nurses's office?"

Without hesitation, Beca immediately sprang up. "I'll do it!"

Chloe was surprised Beca was so quick to volunteer herself. It had only been a few hours since their argument and accident in cooking class. But besides that, Beca had made it clear that she was still very upset Chloe and wanted nothing to do with her.

And yet, despite all odds, here she was! Completely willing to be Chloe's personal escort to the nurse's office. It was weird, Chloe had to admit.

 **Wonderful…** but weird.

The coach blinked at the tiny brunette, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

Beca opened her mouth to respond but Chloe jumped in before she could answer. "She's a friend of mine." Her coach quirked an eyebrow down at her. "Can she please take me?"

The older woman hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gave in to her student's request. "Alright."

Beca wasn't sure what came over her, but at the moment, she didn't really care. All she knew was that Chloe was hurt and she wanted to be there to help her and make sure she was okay.

Beca knelt down and extended an arm so Chloe could use it to help lift herself up. She pushed off her good ankle first, but when Chloe brought her injured foot up next, she accidentally applied too much pressure to it and toppled over in pain, running straight into Beca's chest.

The track star was quick to react, however, and she caught Chloe just in time. "I've got you."

Beca's words made Chloe's heart beat so fast she thought it was going to pop out of her ribcage and her skin burned where Beca's hand had made contact with the exposed part of her waist. Now all Chloe could focus on was Beca. How close she was and how amazing it felt to be in her arms again. She missed it.

She missed **her**.

Beca held tightly onto Chloe as she helped the redhead take the next few steps. A small whimper of pain would escape Chloe's lips every time she limped on the injured ankle. So Beca stopped them, deciding she was done with listening to Chloe's discomfort.

"Put your other arm around me."

Chloe looked at her, confused, "What?"

"I said put your other arm around me. I'm gonna carry you."

And despite the extremely generous offer, Chloe could only widen her eyes. "Oh, no, Beca. It's okay. You don't have to do that." She knew she needed a little more convincing than that. "I'm pretty heavy."

Beca quirked a playful eyebrow at her with a smirk, and Chloe honestly thought she was going to melt at the sight. "You underestimate my strength, Beale." And **God** did it feel good to have Beca be this way with her again. "Besides–" The track star looped her other arm around the backs of Chloe's thighs and swiftly picked her up with ease. Chloe yelped in surprise at the action and quickly secured her arms around Beca's neck. "How heavy can a cheerleader be?"

The sly grin of triumph the spread across Beca's face made Chloe grateful that she had picked her up after all. Because honestly, if Beca would have looked at her that way while she was still standing, Chloe was almost certain her knees would have given out.

Beca adjusted her grip around Chloe's waist one last time– which may or may not have been the cause of the blush that crept on Chloe's cheeks– and continued to walk towards the main school building.

Jesse had noticed Beca's absence during this time and when he spotted her, promptly ran to approach her and Chloe.

"Becaw!" Beca stopped once again and turned with Chloe still in her arms, to look at him. "What happened?"

"Chloe fell." She said simply, like this moment between them wasn't completely significant, "I'm taking her to the nurse's office. Can you tell coach I'll be back soon?"

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, sure. Of course." He flashed one of his famous boyish grins at Chloe and waved. "Feel better."

The redhead smiled back, "Thank you." Beca smiled too, though it wasn't as strong as the others had been, and waited for Jesse to run back to their team before continuing her way to the nurse's office.

"Okay, iz it jus' me, or waz that a little weird?"

Stacie had been watching Beca and Chloe the entire time, but was pulled away from them by her teammate's abrupt question. She looked at the much shorter, hispanic girl, "What do you mean?"

Flo tilted her head to the side as she too observed Beca and Chloe leaving the field. "I don't know." She said, with a curious shake of her head. "I mean, it waz kind of weird that that Beca girl came out of no where and jus' scooped Chloe up like some Prinze Charming or something." Flo placed a hand on her hip and looked back at Stacie. "It waz weird, no?"

Stacie opened her mouth to reply but wasn't completely sure of what to say.

"Yeah, who was that girl?" Another cheerleader suddenly asked. Stacie heard other whispers and mumbles coming from the rest girls still standing in a circle and she knew it was up to her to defuse the situation.

Stacie waved it off, "She's just one of Chloe's friends. No big deal." And then she stepped into her Co-Captain role. "But enough chit-chat. We've got a routine to practice." She clapped her hands and dispersed the crowd, "Let's go." But deep down Stacie had a feeling that this was not going to be the last time the girls talked about this.

* * *

Though it had been an unfortunate event, Chloe was thankful she had gotten injured early on during practice since sixth period hadn't ended yet. This meant the nurse was still in her office and could hopefully help Chloe relieve some of her pain.

Beca was just thankful that the door had been left open. She found it intriguing that she wanted to hold on to Chloe for as long as she possibly could, feeling as though when she finally let go, it would be for the last time.

She was careful with maneuvering their bodies around so she could get them both through the doorway safely. The nurse wasn't at her desk and the few seconds of silence that passed while they waited were pretty awkward to say the least. Neither girl really knew what to say to one another. Especially while maintaining such a close proximity.

Chloe was beginning to worry that maybe Beca was getting tired of holding her, so she sought out to put her out of her misery. "You don't, uh," but then Beca looked at her with gentle eyes, and Chloe suddenly found it hard to finish her sentence, "h-have to keep holding me if… you don't want t–"

"Hello, there." The nurse suddenly appeared from around the corner with a warm smile that pushed the aged wrinkles up on her friendly face. "How can I help you ladies?"

Beca felt like taking the lead. Almost feeling… protective? "She fell on her ankle during cheer practice."

The older woman furrowed her brow at Chloe with consideration, "Ooh, are you alright?"

"Yeah." Chloe said, "I think it's just a sprain."

"Okay, well let me get a better look at you." The nurse then looked at Beca, "You can put her down on one of the beds in the back. I'll be with her shortly." Beca nodded and took Chloe with her to the back room where three navy blue nurse beds sat in a row.

Beca walked over to the nearest one and gently lowered the cheerleader down. "Careful," she said, "Don't put any weight on your foot."

A small smile curved on Chloe's lips at that, "Thank you." And she had to it hold back from widening too much, when Beca chose to sit down with her, slowly untangling her body from hers. Chloe missed the contact instantly, but was happy when she looked up and saw Beca was smiling softly at her.

She really missed that smile.

"You okay?" Beca asked, and Chloe nodded.

"Yeah. I'm okay." She smiled, "Thanks, Becs."

Beca could have sworn Chloe's bright eyes flicked down to her lips for the slightest second, and she couldn't understand why the thought of it made her heart skip a beat. After all, this was the same girl who had broken that same heart just two days ago. This was the same girl that refused to come out with their relationship. This was the same girl that Beca was suppose to be mad at.

So why the hell were their faces suddenly getting closer and closer to each other?

It felt like some invisible magnet was pulling them together, because at this moment, neither girl was really thinking straight– (pun intended). Beca and Chloe both felt their eyelids getting heavier as their lips drew nearer. They were only millimeters away. All it would take was one of them jerking forward to seal the deal.

But just before that familiar spark could be reignited between them, Beca's senses came crashing back down to reality and she stopped herself, moving back until she was a safe distance away from Chloe.

The redhead reopened her eyes and tried her hardest not to cry. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, watching Beca shake her head and stand up. "Wait," Chloe reached out and grabbed Beca's wrist, "please don't go." The track star looked at her with eyes that revealed to Chloe her true, inner feelings. There was a deep emotional struggle glimmering in those dark blue eyes, but it gave Chloe hope that maybe, just maybe, she still had a chance to fix things with her. "I miss you."

Beca closed her eyes and sighed, "I have to go. My track meet is tomorrow and I need to practice." She had a point. Beca shouldn't have to worry about Chloe when she had something much more important to concentrate on. And Chloe really wanted Beca to kick ass and do her best at that meet. So if that meant having to let this opportunity go, then that was just something Chloe was going to have to do.

She continued to hold back tears as she nodded in understanding. "You're right." And though she desperately didn't want to, Chloe reluctantly let go of Beca's hand, realizing then that her fingers had somehow crept down to it. "I'm sorry."

Beca held her gaze with the redhead for a few more seconds before turning away and walking towards the door.

"Good luck tomorrow."

Beca stopped at the door frame and shot Chloe a quick glance. "Thank you." Then finished walking out of the door.

* * *

After a few physical tests and close examination, the nurse confirmed that Chloe had been right; She had a sprain. The older woman gave Chloe some pain killers and after letting her ice it for about fifteen minutes, wrapped Chloe's ankle until it was snug and secured. She informed Chloe that she shouldn't walk on it for about a week or two and advised she should look into using crutches. It wasn't ideal, but thankfully the cheerleaders wouldn't have an official performance until the football season began. So Chloe would still have time to catch up.

She limped her way back to the football field and trying her best not to put any real pressure on her bad ankle. Once she reached the track, a rush of teenaged girls immediately came her way and they were all asking the same question:

 _"Chloe, are you okay?"_

The redhead smiled at her team and embraced some of them in a hug. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just a sprain." She shrugged, "Nothing I haven't had before."

Stacie stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her. "Come on, let's get you to the bleachers." The team moved together like a flock of birds, but Chloe couldn't keep up with their pace.

Stacie took advantage of the opportunity and spoke privately to her. "So... What was that about?"

Chloe looked at her, trying not to look suspicious. "What was what about?"

Stacie shot her a knowing look, "Don't play dumb. You _know_ what I'm talking about." To emphasize her point, she gestured towards the other end of the field where the track team was practicing their sprints and Chloe didn't have to look over to know exactly who Stacie was referring to.

Chloe sighed, "I don't know. It's complicated. I'm guessing Aubrey told you about what happened at lunch, right?" They reached the bleachers and Stacie helped her sit down before answering her question with a nod. "I don't know what to do, Stace. I really messed up." She looked up to find Beca and Stacie followed her gaze.

"I know Aubrey's your best friend and I agree that you shouldn't have lied to her but," Stacie looked back down at Chloe, "she'll get over it. She loves you no matter what, and she'll always be there for you. You guys are like sisters." Chloe smiled to show she was listening, but she never removed her eyes from Beca. Stacie looked back over at the brunette. "And as for, Beca." This brought Chloe's full attention back to her, "I wouldn't give her up if I were you."

Chloe smiled weakly but then jumped when a loud, "Conrad!" was suddenly shouted from behind them. Their coach was waving for Stacie to join the rest of the team and she held up a finger to let them know she was coming.

"Sorry," she apologized, "gotta go. But I'll be back to check on you."

Chloe nodded with the same weak smile, "Thanks, Stace." And watched the taller girl jog away. Her eyes were quick to drift back over to a smaller brunette, who was now running around the track with her team.

Chloe really wanted Beca to do well the following day, but she knew Beca wouldn't be able focus if she was continuously bugged about their failed relationship. It would be selfish of Chloe to do that to her and it wouldn't be right. Chloe was just going to have to let her be until after the track meet was over.

But **damn**. Chloe already felt like she was dying after only being separated from Beca for two measly days. How was she suppose to survive another day? Or the weekend?

There had to be _something_ Chloe could do that could still fix things with Beca without ruining her chances at doing well at the track meet. Chloe was now way passed desperate and willing to do absolutely **anything** to get Beca back. But how was she suppose to prove that show Beca how much she really means to her without talking to her or–

And then Chloe was struck with an idea.

"That's it!" She stood up from her seat with excitement, completely forgetting that she had just sprained her ankle and cried out when the pain reminded her. "Ow!"

 _Okay. That was stupid._

Chloe blew out some air as she carefully lowered herself back down onto the bleacher and pulled out her phone once she got comfortable. She knew exactly what she was going to do, but there was no way she going to be able to pull it off on her own. Chloe was going to need someone's help.

And not just anyone's.

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: Damn. That was a lot to take in...**

 **If you guys would like to read sneak peeks and excerpts of upcoming chapters, I do post those ahead of updates on my Tumblr: "not-so-average-fangirl" Hope to see you guys on there!**

 **Stay tuned!**


	31. A Cheerleader's Plan

**Author's 1st Note: Apologies for another long wait, but I hope you guys still enjoy!**

 **Happy New Year! :)**

* * *

It was a bit of a struggle having to hop down to her car, but Chloe managed to reach the vehicle without putting any real pressure on her bad ankle. It was still slightly throbbing, but other than that, the only pain Chloe felt was the cramping in her calve from all the hopping she was forced to do.

She was kind of grateful that she had landed on her left ankle, since she really wasn't going to need it to drive. Chloe had one destination in mine and was determined to make things work no matter what. After all, at this point, she had nothing left to lose.

* * *

Chloe pulled up to Aubrey's driveway and could feel the nerves fluttering in her stomach the second she turned the ignition off. She wasn't sure how the blonde was going to react to her uninvited presence. Would she yell at her? Hit her? Hell, would she even let her in? There was no way of knowing, but that wasn't going to scare Chloe off.

She was tired of being scared.

Chloe blew her bangs out of her face before she rang the doorbell. Luckily there wasn't a peep hole or any windows close enough to the door for Aubrey to look through. Chloe knew she would be forced to open the door if she wanted to find out who was there.

A few seconds later, Aubrey opened the door with a routine smile, but then stopped when she processed Chloe's sheepish grin. Aubrey's lips instantly fell to a frown and she groaned annoyingly as she turned to shut the door.

"No, wait!" Chloe surged forward, forgetting her ankle was injured and winced once the pain registered to her brain.

"Woah–" Aubrey's irritation for the redhead instantly dissolved and she reopened the door. "What's wrong?"

Chloe was gripping her ankle and peered up to look at her. "I sprained my ankle during practice."

"What!?" Without hesitation, Aubrey's "big sister" instincts kicked in and she held onto Chloe to help her inside. "Are you okay? What happened?" She guided her to the kitchen and sat her down on one of the wooden dining chairs.

"Yeah, I'll be alright." Chloe said, "I just fell on it wrong."

Aubrey straightened up at this, "You fell?" Chloe nodded. "But you never fall."

Chloe recognized the matter-of-fact tone in her voice and sniffed a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah well," she readjusted her position on the chair, "lets just say I got a little distracted this time."

Aubrey crossed her arms and stared at her. "This _"distraction"_ wouldn't happen to have brown hair and be the size of a twelve year old, would she?" Chloe looked up at her knowingly and fought back a grin. She wasn't completely wrong.

After a silent moment, Aubrey gave Chloe a gentle smile and uncrossed her arms to sit down next to her. "I'm sorry."

Chloe snickered, "It's fine. Beca _is_ pretty short."

Aubrey shook her head, "No, I don't mean that. I mean–" She shrugged, "I'm sorry for freaking out on you earlier. You didn't deserve that."

It wasn't completely shocking, but Chloe was still a little surprised to hear an apology come out of Aubrey so soon. Chloe was the one who had come to her house– unannounced– fully prepared to pour her heart out and beg for her best friend's forgiveness. She wasn't expecting to be the one doing the forgiving.

"Ya know, it hurt a lot when you told me that you had been lying to me about your relationship with Beca. It did. But–" Aubrey shook her head, "After I yelled at you I immediately felt terrible about it and couldn't get it out of my mind for the rest of the day."

Chloe's brow creased, "Aubrey–" But the blonde wasn't finished yet.

"No, wait, Chlo. I'm not done. Listen." She reached across the table and took hold of Chloe's hands. "I can understand why you did what you did."

This was also surprising. "You can?"

"Yeah." Aubrey continued, "I realize that I may not be the most–" Her lips pressed tightly as she glanced up at the ceiling and lifted her shoulders, " _gracious_ person at times." Chloe had to hold back a laugh at that. "And I'm sorry for creating an environment where you thought you couldn't talk to me about something like this. That was my fault."

Impressed and suddenly emotional, Chloe smiled as she took a hand back to wipe a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye. She was thrilled to have her best friend back. Chloe launched herself forward and wrapped around the unexpecting blonde, almost knocking her over, but saving her by holding her in place. Aubrey laughed.

"Thank you, Aubrey." Chloe squeezed harder, "Thank you so much."

Aubrey smiled as she nuzzled her chin into Chloe's shoulder. She had missed her friend too; long before their argument. With a repressed sniffle, Aubrey separated herself from Chloe and sat back with a genuine grin.

"So tell me about it."

Chloe sighed, "Well like I said earlier, I was doing a stunt and got distracted when I decided to look over at–"

"No, not your ankle!" Aubrey laughed, rolling her eyes. "Your relationship with Beca! How is it?" She nudged her friend playfully, before quirking a brow suspiciously and switching her tone to protective. "Is she treating you right?"

Chloe's demeanor suddenly fell. "Um…" And she chewed her bottom lip guiltily, "About that…"

Chloe spent the next hour explaining hers and Beca's relationship from beginning to end. She talked about the good, the bad, the ups and the downs. She kept herself together through it all, wondering if, at this point, her body had just run out of tears.

"I really screwed up Aubrey."

"Oh, Chlo." Aubrey reached forward again to bring Chloe in for another hug. "I'm so sorry."

But Chloe shook her head, "No, it's okay." And Aubrey broke the hug to look at her, confused. Chloe smiled, "I know how I'm going to fix it."

A curious brow rose on Aubrey's face. "And how are you going to do that?" Chloe slowly nodded her head and her smile curved into a confident smirk.

"With your help."

* * *

It wasn't hard waking up to her alarm the following morning; Chloe's anxiousness and nerves keeping her up the entire night. But she couldn't afford being tired, however; especially not on this day. She hoped the caffeine in her pain killers would be enough to get her though the day.

Chloe wasn't planning on going to the track field to spy on Beca that morning. Even though she knew the brunette would definitely be there since her track meet was taking place that evening. No, Chloe had more important things to take care of.

She packed her things, swallowed some pain killers and grabbed her crutches; leaving her house with a smile and a bag that was heavier than usual.

* * *

When she got to the school, Chloe's first stop was the computer lab. She knocked on the door and waited outside until a familiar face greeted her from behind the glass.

"Well look who's right on time." Aubrey smiled, holding the door open so Chloe could crutch her way inside.

Chloe chuckled, "I told you I would be." She made her way to a nearby seat and hopped on her good leg to turn to sit down on it. "Did you get everything?"

Aubrey sat down next to her, "Almost. The ASB room is still locked. It won't be opened until first period."

"Okay. That's fine." Chloe's anxiety eased a bit. She was confident Aubrey would get everything they needed in time. Then she took out her phone. "I'm gonna text Stacie. I wanna make sure everything's good on her end too."

Aubrey laughed. "Chloe, relax." She pushed the phone down, "Everything's going to be fine."

Chloe looked at her warily and huffed a defeated sigh. "You're right." She nodded and sat back. "You're right. I'm just–" Her light eyes were suddenly glistening with approaching tears and she sniffled, doing her best to hold them back. "What if it doesn't work?" She looked at Aubrey, worried. "What if she doesn't take me back?"

"Oh, Chlo. She'll take you back. How could she not?" Aubrey wanted to comfort her, but when she thought about it, it would be worse to also give her false hope. So she continued, "And if she doesn't well…" She shrugged, "Maybe she's not the one then."

A tear finally escaped. "But I want her to be."

"I know, Chloe." The redhead leaned forward and Aubrey held her close, "I know."

* * *

It wasn't easy focusing in class. All Chloe could think about was Beca and her plan to win her back. At one point, Chloe found herself subconsciously chewing on her nails. If it wasn't for the bitter taste of her blue nail polish registering on her taste buds, Chloe would have chewed them down to the nub.

When fourth period came around, Chloe's nerves started to activate in her stomach again. But then she remembered the way Beca had taken care of her the day before, and she relaxed, suddenly growing eager to see the brunette's face.

Chloe was late to class– like she always used to be– but at least she had a better excuse this time. Her crutches gained her an extra five minutes when maneuvering from class to class, and since this particular class was clear across the school, Chloe knew Ms. Gail wouldn't give her a hard time for it.

When Chloe entered the room, a few gasps sprang out from some unexpecting peers and Ms. Gail stopped mid sentence to look at her in surprise.

"Chloe!" The older woman approached her, "Are you alright?"

The redhead smiled softly, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a sprain from cheer practice." Her eyes then shifted to Beca, who was already looking at her, and Chloe could swear her heart skipped a beat.

"Oh my. Here," Ms. Gail reached for her, "let me help you to your seat."

Chloe brought a hand up to stop her, "No, it's okay." And she re-gripped the crutches before moving. "I got this."

Ms. Gail smiled amusedly at her student and granted her her wish. The woman went back to her lesson while Chloe made her way to her seat. She accidentally hit a few of her peers along the way, apologizing every time she did, but overall, Chloe got to her seat fairly well.

She leaned the crutches on the side of the table and sat down next to Beca with a grin.

"Hello."

Beca looked at her, and even though she wasn't exactly smiling, she wasn't frowning either. So that was good enough for Chloe.

"How's your ankle?" She asked.

Chloe's heart swelled at her honest concern, but she maintained her steady breathing and kept herself calm and collected. "It's alright. Same as yesterday but," she waved a hand nonchalantly, "it'll get better."

Beca only nodded in response before going back to paying attention to Ms. Gail. She didn't continue a conversation, but she hadn't ignore Chloe either.

The redhead smiled internally. _Progress._

When they were released to their work stations, Amy was surprised to see Beca helping Chloe up from her seat and to the kitchen. She smirked at the sight, knowing well that she was going to tease the track star about it later.

Beca and Chloe worked together a hell of a lot better than they had the day before. Even though Chloe needed some special care or extra help at times, Beca was right there to assist her. And she even did it a genuine smile on her face. It was nice, and this time, no one got batter all over their shirt.

The only conflict that existed, was inside Chloe's head. She was desperate for time to go by faster, wishing she could just skip it completely and go straight to the track meet later that day. She couldn't wait to fulfill her surprise for Beca and it took every once of her self control to keep herself in check and not act like something was up.

But luckily enough, Chloe made it through the class without slipping and she was glad she got to spend some nice time with Beca. They finished their Creme Brûlée and were thrilled to have received a solid "A-" for it. Their excitement took over their bodies, and without thinking, Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe and pulled her in for a hug. It was brief, since Beca was quick to come back to her senses, and she quickly let go; clearing her throat awkwardly and trying to act like she hadn't just done that.

But she did. She knew it, Chloe knew it and Fat Amy saw it.

When the bell rang, Beca was quick to collect her things and tried to leave the room without acknowledging Chloe. She stood up and headed for the door but stopped when she heard a gentle, "Good luck at the track meet," behind her. Beca tried to fight the urge to turn around, and despite the logical side of her brain telling her to just leave, Beca's heart's desires won her over this time and she gave in, gradually turning to face the smiling redhead.

"Thank you." She wanted to ask something then. Something she knew she _shouldn't_ , but, "Um…" She bit her bottom lip nervously. "Are you gonna be th–"

"Short stack!"

Beca jumped at the Australian's unexpected voice and grunted when her arm suddenly appeared around her shoulders.

"Just the girl I was lookin' for!" Amy flashed all of her teeth in a cheeky grin, loving the annoyed pout she was receiving from the brunette. "You ready for lunch?"

Beca glanced over at Chloe. She found it odd that the redhead hadn't moved and that her smile only seemed to grow in size. But Beca didn't want to think about it. She knew she should just go.

"Uh–" She looked back at Amy, "Sure."

"Awhsome!" Amy tightened her grip around her tiny friend and turned them around so they could walk out the door together. Beca never got the chance to finish her sentence, but Chloe knew exactly what she was going to ask.

"Yes, Beca." The cheerleader said to herself, "I'm **definitely** going to be there."

* * *

Beca waited until she and Amy were around the corner to shove her heavy arm off of her.

"Dude! What the hell are you doing?" Amy didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed ahold of Beca's backpack and dragged the brunette against her will to a large tree. "Hey!"

"I thought gingah broke your hart, or whateva'?"

Beca looked at her confused. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I saw you! You were helpin' 'er and lookin' at her with the same sex eyes you used to giv 'er when you had a crush on her."

Beca's mouth opened to argue back, but for a moment she was at a loss for words. Was Amy right? Sure she had helped Chloe get around in the classroom, but come on! She wasn't a _complete_ asshole. Wether Chloe broke her heart or not, the girl was in crutches. Beca was just trying to be a decent person.

"Dude," Beca finally said, "I was just being nice."

But Amy wasn't buying it. She crossed her arms, challengingly. "You still have feelin's for her. Don't you?"

Beca gritted her teeth. She hated that Amy knew her so well. There was no point in arguing with her. Beca just wanted this conversation to be over with. Plus she was also hungry and really wanted to get to her lunch.

The track star tossed her head back, "Ugh, fine! Yes. Okay? I still have feelings for Chloe. Can we go now?" A sly smirk curved on Amy's face and she nodded triumphantly. "Really?" Beca questioned, "It's only been a few days, Amy. It's not like I just "got over her" that quick."

"I know." Amy shrugged, "I just wanted to hear you say it."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Whatever." And with a final laugh from Amy, they made their way downstairs to the cafeteria.

* * *

Chloe met up with Aubrey in the computer room again, this time finding her friend hunched over in the corner. "Aubrey?" The blonde poked her head up and smiled.

"Hey, Chlo."

The ginger was still by the main entrance, which on the other side of the room, but she leaned forward with excitement and glanced at the ground in front of Aubrey.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Aubrey stood up from her spot and proudly held her arms out towards her work. "Come see for yourself." Chloe squealed and crutched over to her with a speed that was frightening. "Okay, easy there, Chlo. We don't need you falling and spraining your other ankle."

Chloe laughed and froze in place when her eyes finally landed on what Aubrey had been working on. She could feel the blood joyfully rushing through her veins as her body lit up with elation.

"Oh my God, Aubrey…" Her eyes continued to dance around the work and she didn't care that her vision started to blur with tears. "It's perfect!"

"Yeah, you like it?"

Chloe looked at her, "I **love** it. If I could hug you without falling over right now, I would."

Aubrey laughed. "Yeah, well," she placed her hands on her hips and looked back down at the ground. "I've got a few more things to finish on this one and then I had some of my friends in ASB make the other one over in their work room." She looked back over at Chloe, who was still admiring the masterpiece, and she brought her hands up to cross them. "You sure you wanna do this?"

Chloe didn't hesitate to nod, "Absolutely." She had never been more sure about anything else.

They spent the rest of their lunch time together in the computer room. Chloe let Aubrey finish while she kept her focus on texting Stacie and making sure the other part of her surprise was coming together as well. Once Chloe was confident that everything was on schedule, she decided it was best that she tried to relax. She sat back on a chair and lifted her bad ankle up on another.

She tried, but failed; finding it difficult to relax at all and keep her eyes off of the clock. Fifth period was coming up soon and then it would be sixth. The cheer team would usually start their practice at that time, but since there was going to be a track meet, football and cheer practice were canceled for the day. The inconvenience was just what Chloe needed in order to accomplish her arrangement, and she couldn't wait to finally go through with it.

* * *

Beca couldn't believe it when the time had finally come.

It was time for her track meet… **IT WAS TIME FOR HER TRACK MEET!**

Her chest grew heavy and her breathing increased in pace as she thought about it. This was so nerve wrecking. Sure Beca had been apart of many other track meets before, but this one was different. Not only was this one the first at a new school, but this one also had a crucial bet attached to it, that had somehow spread around campus and would define Beca's status as an athlete for the rest of her high school career.

There was A LOT on the line. Not to mention the fifty bucks that had _also_ been so generously added.

 _Way to go, Mitchell._

"Beca? Are you alright?"

The track star jerked in her seat at the voice, startled out of her thoughts to find her teacher staring at her curiously from his desk.

"Huh?" She asked. The man glanced at the clock before looking at her again.

"The bell rang. You can go now." It suddenly registered to Beca that she had been sitting there in her chair doing nothing but overthinking her time away.

"Oh…" She stood up awkwardly, "Right. Uh, sorry." Beca grabbed her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. "Bye." And forced her heavy legs to take her to the girl's locker room.

* * *

Beca found herself lost in her thoughts once again, this time already dressed in her uniform and staring at her opened locker like a weirdo. She couldn't help but doubt herself.

What if she lost? What if after all the practicing, all the early mornings, all the trash talking, she still lost? Beca always tried to project this facade that she didn't give a shit about what other people thought of her. But if she were to be completely honest with herself, she did. She really did.

Beca didn't want to be picked on or teased for the rest of her time here at Barden. Who would? It would be a constant torture that would only lower Beca's already pretty low self-esteem and it would make her high school experience that much more miserable. Beca didn't want to make a fool out of herself in front of the entire school. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself in front of her team. And Beca **especially** didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of Chloe.

 _Oh, Chloe._

Beca came back to real time and looked over at Chloe's locker. She wasn't there, of course. After all, why would she? It wasn't like they were still together or anything. She didn't have to come and support Beca if she didn't want to.

And despite trying to resist every burning desire, Beca couldn't help the ache that still longed for the redhead's presence. **_God_** did she really want Chloe to be there. But who was Beca kidding? There was no way Chloe was going show up. Beca had been nothing but a dick to her the last couple of days.

Why would she show up?

Beca shook her head and slammed the locker door shut. She couldn't afford being distracted by thoughts of Chloe. Beca needed to stay focused.

* * *

Girlish chatter and giggles could be heard coming from the computer lab. Chloe and Aubrey, along with more than half of the cheer squad, were eagerly discussing the plans for that evening and Chloe was more than thankful to have such a supportive group of friends more than willingly to help her in her time of need. It made Chloe feel much more comfortable with what she was going to do, and it gave her hope that most of the school would also react so positively.

Chloe was typing a message to Flo, and the remaining cheer girls, who had left campus to hunt for a crucial part of Chloe's surprise, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What you're doing is really courageous, you know that?"

Chloe smiled at Stacie and turned in her crutches to face her. "Yeah," she breathed a chuckle, "I guess."

"No seriously, Chlo." Stacie said, more convincingly. "I'm really proud of you. Something like this takes a lot of guts." Chloe smiled and looked back at her phone to finish the text, not noticing the way Stacie glanced over in Aubrey's direction when she said, "I wish I was as brave as you."

When she hit send, Chloe shoved her phone back into her pocket and smiled at her co-captain. "Thanks, Stace."

"You're welcome." She said. Then she nudged Chloe playfully, "And I'm happy you and Bree worked things out. Told ya she would get over it."

Chloe chuckled, "Yeah, you were right." And she shifted her eyes to peer at her blonde friend, who was chatting with one of the other girls, and breathed a sigh. "I don't know what I would have done if she didn't forgive me."

A small snort escaped Stacie then, "Okay, let's not get all sappy now." She joked, taking hold of Chloe's face and gently shaking it when she said, "We need you smiling and looking your best."

Chloe giggled and cringed away. "Well I did bring a change of clothes," she said, "But–" Chloe looked down at the unappealing contraptions that were holding her up. "There's not much I can do about these."

Stacie narrowed her eyes and hummed as she took a step back. She brought a hand up to place a finger on her lips in a thinking fashion, then flicked her gaze to a box of crafts Aubrey had brought over from the ASB room.

Stacie looked back over at Chloe and smirked. "Maybe there is."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: The story is wrapping up you guys! Get ready for the finale. ;)**


	32. A Track Star's Race

**Author's 1st Note: The wait time for this chapter was so unacceptable. I'm soo sorry about that guys! But I promised I wouldn't abandon this fic and I like to keep my word. Hope you guys enjoy the conclusion!**

 **P.S. There will be an epilogue chapter after this one. ;)**

* * *

The walk to the field felt longer than usual. Every step Beca took felt like she was walking in water. Her chest tightened the closer she got and it wasn't until her cleats made contact with the red-orange pavement that time seemed to have returned to a normal pace.

Beca blinked out of her haze and her eyes danced around the busy environment. Students of every shape and size, in every color uniform, were scattered around the field. The bleachers were mostly empty, though they were gradually filling up with parents and other students by the minute. It was a new, yet familiar experience, and Beca suddenly relaxed, smiling at her fellow competitors as she took it all in.

This was the world she knew best.

Beca gripped tighter to her water bottle and made her way to the other side of the field. A collection of students with matching green and gold uniforms awaited her and she grinned when a friendly set of boyish brown eyes connected with hers.

"Becaw!" Jesse shouted, heedlessly shoving his way through a few students to get to her, his arms opening wide once he was free. "You're here!" He squeezed the smaller brunette with a force that made her groan and after a bit of squirming, Beca pushed him away.

"Dude! Don't break me!" Beca laughed, straightening out her now wrinkled tank top. "I still gotta compete, ya know."

Jesse chuckled, "Sorry." And then, he unexpectedly jumped. "But I'm just so excited!" Beca rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Becaw!" Jesse placed his hands on the shorter girl's shoulders and shook her. "This is your first track meet with us! Aren't you excited?"

And honestly, she was. That much was true. But there was also another emotion swimming around in her stomach, fluttering through the rest of her body with it's electric pulse. Now which emotion was that again? Ah, yes. Beca's best friend since childhood…

 **ANXIETY.**

"Yeah." Beca nodded, calmly, and smiled. She was a pro at concealing how she _really_ felt. "Yeah, I am."

Jesse returned the friendly smile and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders. "Come on," he said, leading them towards the group, "let's get warmed up."

* * *

After an hour long "make-over," Chloe stood in front of her gushing friends with elation.

"So…" She started, looking down at her new and improved look before smiling back up at the girls. "How do I look?"

Stacie took a step forward from the giddy group of girls and nodded confidently. "Hot."

Chloe giggled. "Yeah? Even with the crutches?"

The taller girl scanned her work on the silver helpers and nodded again. " _Especially_ with the crutches."

It was Aubrey, then, who took a step from the crowd and stood in front of Chloe with a soft, reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about those things." She said, gesturing to the crutches. "The only thing Beca is going to look at," Aubrey gently grabbed Chloe's chin and tilted it up so she could look into her eyes, "is **you**."

A shy blush emerged on Chloe's cheeks and she smiled. "Thanks, Bree."

Their "best friend moment" only lasted a second longer, because before any of the girls could blink, Aubrey startled them all with a sudden clap of her hands and a shout of an unexpected, "Alright!"

Chloe flinched at the blonde's loud interruption, but ultimately chuckled at her typical "Aubrey-ness."

"We've still got **a lot** of preparation to do girls, and Beca's final race will be starting in–" Aubrey looked at her pink and gold watch and her eyes widened. "One hour!"

Panic erupted amongst the cheerleaders and Chloe gasped when she realized just how little bit of time that actually was. Flo and the other cheer girls still needed to return from their task, Aubrey needed to make sure everything was made and ready to go in the ASB room, and Chloe had to make sure her teammates knew exactly where they were going and what they were going to do.

And it all had to be completed in just **one hour**.

"Shit." Chloe muttered.

What if they couldn't get everything ready in time? What if nothing worked out and Chloe's surprise was ruined? What if it **did** workout, but Beca still didn't take her back anyway? What if–

Aubrey turned and could tell her best friend was over thinking things. She could see the worry reflecting in Chloe's eyes, but Aubrey didn't want her stressing out anymore than she needed to. She reached out and calmly put her hands on Chloe's arms.

"Chloe… Look at me." The redhead met her gaze. "Everything is going to be fine, okay? I promise."

Letting go of stress was always easier said than done, but Chloe trusted Aubrey. Aubrey had never let her down before in the past and she had faith that she wouldn't now.

After taking a calming breath, Chloe nodded. "Okay," and she smiled, "I trust you."

Aubrey smiled back, "Let's go get your girl."

* * *

The track meet had begun and the many different athletic events ensued one by one like clockwork. Some events occurred at the same time, but only if their location didn't interfere with the other. Everything had been running smoothly.

Beca had been feeling nervous butterflies in her stomach, but luckily they didn't last. Once she was up for her first event, the all girls relay race, her confidence and focus rapidly kicked in, and the nerves were no longer to be found. Beca was easily the fastest girl on the team, so placing her as the last relayer proved to be a great decision.

With a bolt of impressive speed, Beca had rounded the last lap and earned her team a first place victory. It was a nice feeling, having the other girls congratulate and praise her for a good run. But amongst the compliments and pats on the back, Beca heard a slow applause and a familiar voice that instantly brought her mood down.

"Not bad, Becky."

Beca closed her eyes and pressed her tongue to the front of her teeth, shaking her head before turning around to face the annoying English boy.

"Luke."

The blonde pouted his bottom lip, falsely offended by Beca's bothered tone. "Aw, why the long face, love? I'm just complimentin' you."

Beca grimaced at the pet name. "Don't call me 'love'." She wasn't in the mood for any more banter, knowing well that he would probably just use it to get inside her head. And there was no way Beca was going to let him distract her.

Luke smirked and let the smaller girl stride by him. "Whatever you say, _love!"_

Beca rolled her eyes but kept on walking. Jesse was up next for the boy's relay, and she wanted to make sure she was there to support him.

Jesse was the second to last relayer, with Luke of course being the last. It was a smart move placing the fastest runner in that position. It granted the runner the opportunity to bolt down to victory if their team was only a little bit behind. And when Beca thought about it, it was kind of a weird honor knowing that she held the same position as Luke but for the girls. He was the best high school track runner Beca had ever met.

Not that she would ever tell him.

Beca stood on the grass field, parallel to Jesse's position and grinned at his preparation routine. She watched as he hopped up and down and stretched his neck from side to side. He must have been really focused, because he hadn't even acknowledged Beca's presence until he heard her chuckle next to him.

"Oh. Hey, Becaw!" He smiled, holding his arms up to his sides as he twisted his ribs and abdomen back and forth. "Come to watch me kick some ass?"

Beca laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Something like that."

Jesse winked and lowered himself into his ready position. When the starting shot rang out in the air, Beca noticed the way Jesse's eyes shifted from boyish to combative. It was like his whole persona had changed as he waited for the baton to reach his hand.

Beca couldn't help but smirk to herself. He was just like her when it came to competing. It was all fun and games until the official race started, then it was nothing but business. She was proud to call him her teammate.

There were four schools competing in this race, and for the most part, Barden and their rival school Westlake were neck and neck. Barden started in first, but when the baton was passed to the second boy, Westlake's runner was quick to take the lead.

It was stressful to watch, but thankfully when the baton reached Jesse, the Westlake challenger next to him only had a second of a head start. It easy for Jesse to catch up to him.

"Come on, Jesse! Kick that Westlake boy's ass!" Beca cheered, ignoring the few disapproving glances she earned from other Westlake competitors around her. She watched the boys run the last turn, and at first it looked like Barden and Westlake were headed for a tie.

That is, until the baton was passed on to Luke.

It was no surprise that the English boy was able to basically leave his Westlake competitor in the dust and win the race for Barden.

Not to mention that he did it with a solid five second lead.

But Beca scoffed because _of course_ Luke won. At least they were on the same team.

For now.

* * *

Chloe panted to a stop when she finished leading the girls to the athletic building, which was located right next to the track and field. Chloe hadn't used crutches since she injured her ankle during a trampoline accident in the ninth grade, and despite being fit, crutching around in the hot sun all day was still exhausting.

"Oh, shit." Stacie said, pulling the bottom of her blouse up to dab at Chloe's glistening forehead. "She's sweating her makeup off."

The redhead laughed and softly pushed her hand away. "Stacie, it's fine. We still have some time left. I'll touch up in the girl's locker room before I go out there."

"Okay, girls! Listen up!" Aubrey took charge of the conversation and moved to stand in front of the group. "Everyone knows what they're doing, right?" The girls looked at each other before looking back and nodding their heads. "Excellent. Then let's get you guys upstairs in position and I'll meet you all up there to make sure everything's ready to go."

With Aubrey's permission, the girls smiled and giggled as they separated; a small group going into the building, while the rest headed straight for the stairs. Aubrey gleed at her hard work paying off and turned back to face Stacie and Chloe.

"It's almost time." She smiled, earning a reciprocated expression from Chloe.

"Yup." Chloe slowly nodded, letting out a shaky breath. "This is it. No going back."

Stacie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're gonna kill it."

"Yeah, Chlo." Aubrey said, "She's gonna love it." Chloe smiled and nodded, appreciating the support she had from her best friends. "And if she doesn't," Aubrey continued, "then she'll have **me** to deal with."

All three girls laughed at this and Chloe shook her head. "Be nice."

Aubrey rolled her eyes playfully. "Fine."

The three girl shifted then, allowing Chloe to crutch forward first as they headed inside. But just as Aubrey held the door open, Chloe snapped her head up when a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

"Wait!" She said, startling her friends. "Flo and the other girls aren't back yet!" Chloe looked at Aubrey with worry. "What if they don't make it back in time?"

Aubrey widened her eyes, but knew she needed to stay calm for Chloe.

"It's okay," the blonde said, trying her best to sound relaxed. "Don't worry about it. I'll get a hold of them and find out where they are. You go upstairs and finish getting ready. Just be on the field in about fifteen minutes, okay?"

Chloe nodded promptly. There was no time for stressing. She needed to be ready for Beca.

Aubrey looked at their taller friend, "Stace, you're with me." With one last hug, the girls split into different directions. Chloe headed for the locker room while Aubrey and Stacie made their way up to the field.

* * *

It was a bit of a struggle, but after a few moments of wrestling with the heavy metal door, Chloe managed to get it open and entered the girl's locker room. She checked the time and realized she was now down to a short ten minutes to fix herself up and get her butt on the field.

Chloe stopped at a sink and put her crutches to rest on the neighboring wall. She checked her reflection and released a vexed groan. Stacie was right, her sweat had smudged some of her makeup, and now Chloe had to move quickly in order to re-create her previous work.

Chloe took out whatever makeup she had left in her purse and started touching herself up, anxiously eyeing the clock on the wall every couple of seconds.

* * *

Beca was riding an adrenaline high. She had competed in two other races and had successfully come in first place both times. She was on a roll. Her teammates congratulated her and her competitors envied her. There was nothing that could ruin her mood.

"Oh, Beckyyy…"

Well except for maybe one annoyingly talented, arrogant, English boy, who had now reminded Beca of the grand event that was still left to come.

"You know what race is comin' up next?" He grinned.

Beca looked up to the sky as she released a frustrated sigh and turned around with her arms crossed to face him.

"You mean the race that _I'm_ gonna win?" Beca smirked, confidentially. "That race?"

Luke smirked back and took a step closer to Beca. "I think you mean the race that **_I_** am going to win, love."

Beca gritted her teeth. "I told you not to call me that."

"Fine." Luke smiled. "Don't cry too much when I cross that finish line before you," he took another step, " _dwarf_."

Beca growled and moved to take a swing at him, but luckily, a strong arm suddenly appeared around her shoulders to hold her back.

"He's not worth it!" Jesse shouted, holding on to the heated girl until she finally relaxed. Luke laughed at it all, which only infuriated Beca even more. But Jesse was right. He wasn't worth it.

Once Luke turned to leave, Jesse leaned forward to speak softly into Beca's ear. "Prove him wrong on the field."

Beca eased her anger and faced her teammate. "Thanks, Jess."

"Anytime, Bec." He grinned. "Show him how a **real** athlete wins a race."

Beca nodded with a small smile, appreciating Jesse's encouraging words. She was glad she had decided to befriend her weirdo neighbor. He was the closest thing she had ever had to a brother.

But then Beca hesitated for a moment, an insecure thought snaking it's way into her brain. "Do you really think I can beat him?"

It was the most vulnerable question Jesse had ever heard her ask, and the look in her eyes resembled that of a child starting their first day of school; worried and scared of the unknown. He smiled gently and answered honestly. "I think if anyone on this team can, it's you."

With the encouraging confirmation, a confident grin began to curve on Beca's lips.

 _Hell yeah I can!_

* * *

Aubrey was aligning her ASB friends on the highest bleacher when Stacie came up from behind and nudged her shoulder.

"Flo and the other girls still aren't back yet. Beca's race is going to start as soon as they clear out the hurdles."

Aubrey looked at the field. The last hurdle race had just finished and the final times were being recorded. Aubrey knew that this meant there was only about another fifteen minutes to spare before the next race began, which in turn meant that she had about fifteen minutes to find the other cheer girls, get Chloe to where the finish line was going to be, and hopefully succeed in helping her best friend get the girl of her dreams.

It was a weird and chaotic plan, but if anyone could get it done, it was Aubrey Posen.

"Okay." Aubrey took in a breath before focusing on Stacie. "You stay here and make sure these guys get the banner up at the right time. I'll call Flo and get the other girls in their positions. If Chloe's not up here in five minutes I'll go down there and get her myself. Got it?"

Stacie blinked at her firm tone, but a smirk eventually appeared at the corner of her lips. "You're so hot when you take charge."

Aubrey couldn't explain why her body suddenly felt hot at her comment, but now was not the time to contemplate it. Instead, Aubrey shook her head with a confused look on her face and spun around to make her way down the bleachers. Stacie watched with her bottom lip caught between her teeth and giggled before turning her attention back to her given task.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chloe was dabbing a fresh layer of red gloss on her lips when her eyes darted to the nearby wall clock and she realized that she was out of time. She quickly collected her makeup and carelessly shoved the items back into her purse. Chloe looked at the mirror one last time, rubbing her lips together and fluffing her hair as she straightened her top.

She glanced down at the plunging neckline her blouse so generously granted and raised a curious brow. Without wasting another moment, Chloe reached into her bra and tugged each one of her breasts' up until they brimmed the edge of their cups. With a satisfied huff, Chloe was finally ready to present herself and grabbed her crutches before exiting out the door.

She made her way to the elevator, a smile too big for her face spread across her cheeks, and her heart pounding hopefully in her chest.

This was it. The moment she had planned so hard for.

Chloe stood in front of the elevator doors and reached for the 'up' button, hesitating when she noticed that her hand was trembling.

Chloe had never done anything like this before. Sure she had always been an open girl; wearing her heart on her sleeve and flinging herself into any and every situation with everything she had. But this was different. What Chloe was about to do was brave, but also completely exposing, and the outcome would leave her in a very, very vulnerable state.

But despite the negative outcomes that could possibly ensue, Chloe decided that no matter what, Beca was worth it.

Chloe released a shaky, but buoyant, sigh and pressed the button. She smiled up at the luminous red number that changed with every floor it passed. But then she went stiff, an unexpected, but all too familiar voice suddenly speaking behind her.

"Chloe…"

Chloe's eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat. Her body felt numb, but she managed to turn in place to face the person as the elevator doors opened behind her.

"Tom?"

* * *

Aubrey's leg tapped uncontrollably as she nervously waited for Flo and the rest of the cheer girls to arrive. When Aubrey had called them, Flo informed her that they were just around the corner and had been held up in line by a woman who decided she wanted to empty her change purse and pay for most of her groceries with quarters, nickels and dimes.

Movement in her peripheral vision halted Aubrey's nerves and she jerked her head over to see Flo and the girls sprinting, quite clumsily, towards the field.

"Flo!" Aubrey shouted, waving her arms as she jumped up and down. "Girls! Up here!"

The leading Guatemalan spotted the hopping blonde and waved back as she and the girls hurried their way up the stairs.

"Oh, thank God!" Aubrey praised, "You guys made it here on time."

"Beca hasn't started yet?" Flo asked, glancing over at the cleared out track.

"No, but she's about to!" Aubrey saw the athletes huddled by the starting line stretching and preparing themselves. She looked down at her watch. "Where the hell is Chloe?" She couldn't spot the redhead anywhere and began to worry about her whereabouts.

Aubrey pushed and guided the girls to their position. "Wait here. I'll be right back!" And with that, Aubrey pivoted around and ran down the stairs.

* * *

Chloe's chest tightened as she stared at her ex's face. She hadn't spoken or even seen Tom since the incident at Stacie's party. The thought of being alone with him frightened her.

"Tom…" Chloe said again, almost disbelieving that he was actually there. She slowly crutched a small step backwards. "What are you doing here?"

Tom noticed Chloe's tentative action and softly brought his hands up. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to scare you. Please don't be afraid of me." Tom didn't take a step forward. He didn't want to re-enact the similar positions they had been in that night. He didn't want to scare her off. "I just want to talk to you."

Chloe kept her guard up, despite his gentle tone. "I-I really don't have time to talk right now." Which was true. Chloe glanced up at a nearby clock before looking back at the brunette boy.

Tom smiled softly and looked down at the ground as he nodded his head. "It's Beca, right?"

Chloe furrowed her brow. She knew what he meant by the question, but she wasn't sure how he could have known. "How do you–"

"I heard your argument with Aubrey the other day in the quad." He said, and looked back up to meet her eyes. "Chloe, I am **so** **sorry** for what I did to you." He paused. "And for what I did to Beca. It was stupid and immature and I feel horrible about it. I…" His brow creased with sorrow. "I never meant to hurt her."

His words were heavy and they penetrated Chloe's heart to the core. She remembered that night, so crystal clearly; though she preferred to forget it. Chloe had never felt a pain like she had when she saw Beca hit her head. It was like the entire world around her had stopped rotating, and all she could see was the unconscious brunette lying still on the ground.

It was a nightmare.

"Tom," Chloe started, closing her eyes for a moment before continuing. "I'm not going to stand here and say that it's 'fine' because what you did was **not** okay." Tom softly nodded in agreement and Chloe eased her tone. "But I do want to thank you for apologizing to me. I really appreciate it and I'm sorry things between us didn't work out."

It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from Chloe's shoulders as she spoke. This was the closure her mind had been craving, though she hadn't completely been aware of it. It was nice to finally get everything off of her chest. And to know that Tom was sincere in his apology made her feel a lot better about him as well.

She could see in his eyes that he really was sorry. And it was a bit saddening to remember how they used to be. He was actually a really good boyfriend to her and they had had some pretty good times together. But things had changed and there was nothing Chloe could do to go back, even if she wanted to. Which, she didn't.

But it was nice to be in a good place with Tom again.

And it was nice knowing that he knew about Beca and wasn't at all vein about it.

"There you are!"

Chloe and Tom both jumped when they heard the sudden voice and looked down the hallway to find the source. Aubrey was jogging towards them, but slowed down to a steady walk when her eyes processed Tom's distinguished figure.

Aubrey suddenly grew very protective of Chloe and stepped closer to her when she got to them. "Chlo…" She said, her eyes never leaving Tom's. "Everything okay here?"

"Aubrey, everything's fine." Chloe moved to put a reassuring hand on hers. "Tom and I were just talking."

Aubrey continued to eye the boy skeptically. "You sure?"

Chloe nodded, "Yeah."

Aubrey didn't really trust Tom after what Chloe had told her happened at Stacie's party, but she knew Chloe would tell her if something was really wrong. And Aubrey would have been _fairly_ okay with letting them finish their conversation, but there were more important things to take care of at the moment.

She glanced down at her watch, then looked at Chloe expectedly.

"Chlo, we gotta go. The race is starting."

Chloe met Tom's gaze again and smiled amiably. "I'm sorry, Tom, but I have to go."

Tom smiled back and nodded. "No its okay, I understand." He paused, but his smile didn't falter. "She needs you."

His kind words only made Chloe's smile grow and she handed Aubrey her crutches to hop towards him and give him a warm hug. It was a silent, but official goodbye, and though they would never date again, Chloe knew she still had a friend in Tom.

They separated and Tom was genuinely content as he watched the redhead wave a friendly goodbye then slowly disappear behind the elevator doors.

* * *

Beca's heart felt like it was going to pounce right out of her chest– and the race hadn't even begun yet. Her palms were sweating as she watched the workers set up the starting blocks for the next race. This was it. The time had come for her to prove herself to not only Luke, but the entire school. And the thought alone was beyond stressful.

But as Beca stared at the starting line, it wasn't the thought of failure that suddenly crossed her mind. No. When Beca processed the next few moments of her life, the only thing she could think of, was Chloe Beale.

Beca looked over towards the other side of the field where the bleachers were. Her eyes shifted around the crowded seats in search of familiar red hair and dazzling blue eyes. But just like the smarter part of her brain had already warned her, Chloe was no where to be found.

Beca sighed and lowered her gaze. She knew there was no logical reason for Chloe to even be at the track meet, yet at the same time, she couldn't help but still want her there. Beca couldn't resist the way her heart still longed for the cheerleader. It was like a never ending ache that throbbed in her chest, beating its painful rhythm the moment Beca decided it was best for them to go their separate ways.

But this wasn't the time to focus on emotions or "what if's." Beca had a track meet she needed to focus on. She shook her head in hopes the action would physically shake her thoughts away and she straightened herself out. Beca could sulk about Chloe later. What she needed to do now, was win her final race.

"Mitchell!" Beca jumped and quickly spun around to face her screaming coach. "Get over here, the race is about to start!"

Beca bit her bottom lip as she glanced at the bleachers one last time, then finally gave in and jogged her way over to the starting line.

"Bout time you make your way over here, love." Luke grinned, shaking his legs before settling them on the starting blocks right next to Beca.

Beca only glared at him, deciding it was probably best for her to just ignore him. She needed to focus. She was going to win this race. She **needed** to win this race.

After stretching her legs Beca slowly lowered herself into her starting position and placed her feet comfortably on the blocks. It was then when Beca became hyperaware of everything she was feeling and everything surrounding her. She could see Luke confidently grinning to himself in her peripheral vision. She could feel her heart beating soundly in her chest and could see her warm skin glistening in the sunlight.

This was it. It was time to race.

"Can't wait to see that finish line pass under my feet." Luke was taunting her again, but this time Beca wasn't going to stay quiet.

Her eyes stayed focused on the track, but her neck turned just enough for her mouth to face the annoying boy next to her. "Don't cry too hard when it's my _ass_ you'll be seeing crossing that finish line before you."

Luke widened his eyes and Beca smirked. This was **her** time to shine.

The Henry took his position next to the racers and pointed his starter gun up to the sky.

"Racers, are you ready?" He asked, waiting for nods and gestures of acknowledgement. "Alright." He looked at his watch, then looked at the other officials before finally starting the race. He continued to hold the gun up in the air, "Racers, on your mark." Beca narrowed her eyes on the track. "Get set." She lifted her lower half up and took in a deep breath…

 **"** **Go!"**

The racers sprang forward at the sound of the gun and were quick to settle on their own pace. Luke took the lead, but Beca was mere milliseconds behind him. She wasn't going to let his current lead discourage her. She just had to remember what she had been practicing these last few days.

What Chloe had taught her…

Almost as if on cue, Chloe and Aubrey finally arrived on the field. The crowd was going crazy as they cheered the runners on. It was a hectic environment, but Chloe had to focus on finding her girl.

"Where's Beca?" She asked in a panic, her eyes darting around as quickly as possible in order to find the brunette. Aubrey looked around too and found Beca sprinting right next to Luke.

"There she is!"

Chloe gasped a smile when her eyes finally landed on the competing track star. She could see Beca was giving it her all, and as the runners came around the first turn, Chloe looked back over at her best friend.

"Aubrey! Cue your friends!"

Aubrey nodded and pivoted around to signal her ASB friends. They were positioned on the highest bleacher, and once they caught their cue, the five ASB students opened up a large banner they had made together and held it up, over their shoulders.

Once Chloe was sure Beca could see them, she smiled and finally started cheering her on.

"Go, Beca, go!"

Beca could only hear the loud thumping of her heart beating in her ears, and she couldn't see anything else but the back of Luke's jersey. As the second turn approached, Beca could feel a familiar burning in her legs, but it wasn't as unbearable as it used to be. She smiled confidentially to herself when she realized her new technique was going to work.

It was going to work.

Chloe's smiled fell a bit when Beca hadn't seemed to notice her. So as the racers approached the final turn, Chloe took it amongst herself to crutch her way down to the finish line. She was determined to get Beca to see her.

Chloe threw her hands up and cheered as loud as she could. "Come on, Beca! You can do it!"

Beca's focus suddenly shifted as the familiar voice registered in her brain. Her eyes immediately found the redhead waving at her from further down the field and Beca's body suddenly felt weightless as a wide smile spread across her face.

Chloe was there! She was **right there,** cheering her on. It was almost unbelievable. But there she was, smiling brilliantly and trying her best to hop up and down on one foot. Then Chloe started to frantically point up at the bleachers. The gesture confused Beca at first, but when she glanced over in that direction, it was made clear what Chloe was trying to tell her.

There on the top row of the bleachers, in bright colorful font, where everyone and anyone could read it, was an ASB banner advertising the words: **_"CHLOE BEALE LOVES BECA MITCHELL."_**

Beca's smile grew impossibly wider and the new, overwhelming– but positive– emotions that suddenly flooded her veins sparked something in her. Beca not only wanted to cross the finish line as soon as possible to win the race, but now, now Beca also wanted to get to Chloe as soon as possible so she could hug her, and this time, never let her go.

It was like her body kicked into hyper speed, and before Beca knew it, she was passing Luke with ease and was only a few feet away from the finish line.

Chloe couldn't have been happier. "That's it, baby! You've got this!"

With a few more pants, a few more beats of her heart, and a few more lunges of her feet, Beca Mitchell finally crossed the finish line… First.

Chloe jumped, "Yes! Oh my God, Beca, you did it!"

The crowd and the students also lit up with energy and hollered their celebrations. Barden High won another race! And more importantly, Beca finally beat Luke.

Beca's chest was still heaving with heavy pants as she stood frozen in time, processing her victory. She could feel a handful of her teammates come up from behind her, grabbing and shaking her as she came back to reality. When she fully came through, Beca couldn't help but smile.

"Beca, you did it!"

"Congratulations, Beca!"

"You did it, Becaw! You did it!"

Beca recognized the last voice the most, and she welcomed the tight, almost strangulating, hug that came with it.

She laughed. "Jesse…" Beca muttered, "I can't breath."

Jesse immediately loosened his grip and set her back down. "Oh, sorry!" He watched as she fixed her top, but continued with his energetic outburst. "But I'm just so excited for you!"

"At least one of us is." Luke came up from behind Jesse with his arms crossed, the look of defeat clearly written on his face. "That was some race."

Beca smirked and took a step forward to match him. "How did my ass look as it passed you by?"

Luke grinned. "Pretty impressive, actually." He playfully eyed her up and down before adding, "Your ahletic skills, too." He bent down to reach into his sock and pulled out a fifty dollar bill. A few gasps could be heard from the crowd surrounding them, but Luke just smiled genuinely as he said, "Congrats on your victory…" He placed the money in her hand and winked. "Beca."

Hearing her real name in the blonde boy's accent was a very welcomed surprised. Beca put the money in her own sock and grinned satisfactorily. "Thanks, Luke."

Beca felt Jesse grab and shake her. "You won, Beca!" And he was right. She did win.

But this time, in more ways than one.

Instead of relishing any longer in the surrounding praise, Beca turned around and maneuvered through the small crowd until she came face to face with Chloe.

Beca took in the sight of the beautiful redhead, no longer caring about anything else, and grinned when she noticed how dolled up she was. Her hair was curled brilliantly and her makeup matched her outfit perfectly. Even her crutches were decorated in colorful streamers and fake flowers, and the thought of Chloe going that far to impress Beca made the brunette chuckle.

"You came." Beca smiled.

Chloe smiled back. "Of course I came. I–" She paused, taking a moment to support her weight on her crutches and cautiously reaching out to hold Beca's hands. She wasn't sure if Beca would pull away, but she had to try. "I love you, Beca."

Thankfully Beca didn't move away, but instead lunged forward to pull her into a tight hug. It felt so right to be in Chloe's arms again. It was like she finally came back home.

Beca moved her mouth so that it laid right next to Chloe's ear when she said, "I love you, too." They separated and Beca smirked as she glanced up and nodded towards the bleachers. "And I can see everyone else knows that too."

This made Chloe giggle and she nodded reassuringly. Then her eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh, wait!" She disconnected their hands. "There's more!" Chloe turned around and whistled before waving Aubrey, Stacie and some of her cheer friends over to them. "Girls, come on!"

Beca turned around and let out a disbelieving laugh. The cheer girls were lined up on the track, holding another colorful banner across their bodies, but this time it read: **_"Beca Mitchell, will you be my girlfriend?"_**

Flo then stepped out from behind the girls and handed Chloe a bouquet of flowers. Beca couldn't believe that this was her life; that everything she had wanted had become her reality. Chloe held out the flowers towards her, her sparkling blue, puppy dog eyes begging for Beca to accept them.

"So…" Chloe started, her voice was gentle and Beca could see a slight blush creeping on her cheeks. "Will you?"

And despite Beca's mind wanting to go back to it's usual insecure habits– flashing back every moment of her life where someone she trusted had betrayed her– Beca knew in her heart that this was what she really wanted. She knew that she wanted to be with Chloe and if Chloe was now willing to have her with everyone around them knowing…then how could she say no?

Instead of answering with words, Beca took the flowers and leaned forward to plant a soft but loving kiss on Chloe's lips. The crowd that had chosen to watch the exchange erupted in applause as they cheered the couple on.

"She said yes!" Flo shouted, squealing and gushing with the other cheer girls.

Stacie leaned an arm on Aubrey's shoulder with a happy smile on her face and Aubrey sighed as she nodded to herself.

"She said yes."

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: So... What'd you guys think? x)**

 **Thanks so much for reading my story you guys! I love you all so much and appreciate your kindness and patience with me. Hope you all enjoyed the journey as much as I did.**

 **Follow me on Tumblr: not-so-average-fangirl**

 **And stay tuned for the epilogue! ;)**


	33. Epilogue: Prom

**Author's 1st Note: It's here,** **guys! It's finally here!**

 **Take you all so much for your patience and your kind messages. I'm so glad you guys have enjoyed the story, and I hope that you enjoy the conclusion of it even more. :)**

 **So, without further delay, here is the epilogue!**

* * *

"Beca! Let's go! You don't wanna keep a lady waiting!"

Beca could hear her father calling for her from the living room, and she groaned as she rushed to finish her eyeliner. It wasn't like she was _trying_ to be late. That was the last thing she wanted to do. But Beca also had to make sure that she looked perfect. After all, when a girl like Chloe Beale asks you to be her prom date, the _least_ you could do is look your absolute best.

"I'm coming!"

Beca straightened her tie and ran her fingers through her loose curls one last time as she looked herself over in the mirror. She was proud at how well she managed to do her makeup. With the help of some tutorial videos on YouTube– and a few failed attempts– Beca managed to learn how to do a decent, light aqua smokey eye.

The color matched her tie, which also matched Chloe's dress. But Beca couldn't waste anymore time daydreaming about how amazing Chloe was going to look in that dress.

What she needed to do was get the hell over to her house and pick her up!

Beca grabbed her ticket and duffle bag and ran out of her room. Her father was already waiting for her by the front door and smiled when he made eye contact with her.

"Beca..." He looked her up and down, adoringly. "You look beautiful."

Beca smiled sheepishly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks, Dad. Think Chloe will like it?"

Mr. Mitchell nodded. "Definitely."

"Okay, good. I'm ready then." Beca exhaled a breath and headed for the door.

"You sure about that?"

Beca heard her father from behind her but didn't turn around. "Yeah." She said, confidently. "I've got this."

Mr. Mitchell grinned. "Where's the corsage?"

Beca froze. "Shit!" She quickly spun around and ran into the kitchen. She couldn't believe she had almost forgotten it. Beca opened the refrigerator and took out the clear box that contained the blue and white corsage, smiling at it briefly before running back to the front door.

"Okay! I got it!" She panted.

Mr. Mitchell laughed. "Okay, _now_ you're ready."

They exited the house together and made their way to Mr. Mitchell's car. Beca pulled on the passenger side door, but found that it was still locked. She pulled again.

"Uh, Dad?" Her father just looked at her. "You gonna open the door, or...?"

Mr. Mitchell smiled and shook his head. "No," he said, "I think you can take it from here." Without hesitation he tossed Beca the keys and was glad she was able to catch them with her free hand. Beca now understood what he was getting at.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious?"

Her father shrugged. "Why not? You have your license. Might as well make use of it."

A wide, elated smile spread across Beca's face. "Dude!" She couldn't believe he was actually letting her drive his car! "Thank you!"

Mr. Mitchell couldn't help but laugh amusedly at his daughter. "You're welcome."

Beca came back around to the driver's side and hugged her father soundly. She got in the vehicle, gently placed the corsage box on the seat next to her, and contested wether not she should buckle it in so it wouldn't fall off. After a short debate with herself, Beca ultimately gave in and used the seatbelt to hold it in place. She tossed the duffel bag to the back seat and ignited the car, selecting a special playlist to start that she had made for Chloe.

With one last smile and wave to her father, Beca backed out of their driveway and made her way to her girlfriend's house.

"See you tomorrow!" Mr. Mitchell waved, smiling as he turned to go back into his home.

* * *

"Come on, Mitchell! You can do this. You can do this..." Beca quietly muttered to herself as she nervously stood in front of the Beale's front door. This was a special night. This was _Chloe's_ special night. And Beca was determined to make it memorable.

With a few more self-encouraging comments, Beca shook off her nerves and rang the doorbell.

 _"I got it!"_

 _"No,_ ** _I_** _got it!"_

Beca could hear Chloe's brothers fighting on the other side of the door and she laughed. A couple more muffled grunts and groans and the door finally flew open.

"Beca!" Greeted, Chace, quickly being nudged out of the way by Chad.

"We've been expecting you." He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms intimidatingly. Chace joined him shortly after. Chad extended his arm inside. "Please have a seat." His voice was firm but still had the evident hint of playfulness. Beca quirked an eyebrow, knowing exactly what they were doing, but choosing to go along with it anyway.

"Okay," Beca chuckled, and finished with a quietly murmured, "…weirdos." She calmly stepped inside, and Chace and Chad guided the well dressed brunette to the living room, where they sat her down on the couch and took a seat across from her.

Chace started the questioning first. "So exactly what are your intentions with our little sister?"

Beca blinked curiously at the redheaded boy but was cut off by Chad before she could answer.

"Are you planning to make an _honest_ woman out of our Chloe?"

It was cute– sort of– but also too funny for Beca to keep a straight face and she let out a snicker. "Are you guys serious right now?"

Chace widened his eyes. "Of course we're serious!"

"We've never been more serious." Added, Chad.

The comical commotion must have caught the attention of Mr. Beale, because before the twin boys could question Beca any further, the older, brunette Beale suddenly walked into the room. A playful smirk was toying at his lips.

"Boys..." He said sternly. "What did I say about interrogating Beca?"

They looked at each other. Partly confused and partly intimated, unsure if they were about to get in trouble. But then the corner of Mr. Beale's mouth curved, ever so slightly, and the boys grinned.

"That's **my** job." Mr. Beale finished, and Beca gulped.

"What?" She asked, nervously.

The older man smiled. "Have a seat, Beca."

It was funny when Chloe's brothers were the ones grilling Beca with questions about their sister, but now that their father stepped, and appeared to actually be pretty serious, it only made Beca that much more nervous.

Without a word, Beca slowly lowered herself onto the couch and quietly placed the corsage in her lap. Mr. Beale stood there for a moment with cocked eyebrow, Chace and Chad mere inches behind him with their arms crossed and smirks curved on their faces. Beca felt like she was about to be gang banged.

"So..." Mr. Beale started, his voice steely. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

Beca wanted to think he was still joking, like Chace and Chad had been, but with his intimidating stare and stern voice, Beca wasn't too sure.

"U-Uhh..." Beca muttered. "Intentions?"

"Yes. Intentions." And man, if Mr. Beale was joking, he was not giving up on his act anytime soon. "Do you take your relationship with my daughter seriously? Or is she just ' _some girl'_ to you?"

The question caught Beca off guard. She thought she had a great relationship with Chloe's dad and that he knew her better than that. Beca didn't understand why he was asking her such a crude question.

Beca blinked. "Um, sir?"

Before Mr. Beale could say anything else, Chace popped up from behind his shoulder.

"Do you plan on marrying our sister?"

Beca's eyes widened. "What?"

Then Chad popped up behind the other shoulder.

"Do you want to have kids with her?"

The questions were too much for Beca to handle and she felt like she was going to throw up. Thankfully a hero came to her rescue and before the Beale men could interrogate Beca any further, Mrs. Beale stepped into the room.

"Boys! Leave Beca alone!" Beca turned to look at her, and the older woman had to hold back a laugh as she looked at the terrified look on her face."You're scaring her."

The men shifted theirs eyes towards Claire, then glared back at Beca before all three broke out in laughter. Chace and Chad high-fived each other.

"You should have seen your face!" Chad laughed, pointing at Beca and causing an embarrassed blush to appear on her cheeks.

Chace wiped a tear from his eye. "Priceless."

It was a relief to know that they had, in fact, been joking all along, and Beca started to release short, awkward chuckles, despite the heavy questions that were still rattling around in her brain.

Mrs. Beale stood there shaking her head disapprovingly, though a small amused smile was still apparent on her lips. She looked at Beca and extended a friendly hand.

"You okay, sweetie? I'm sorry they got to you before I did."

Beca breathed a crooked grin and stood up, straightening her blazer out before approaching the older woman.

"Heh, it's fine. I knew they were joking." The dwindling fear in her eyes and her still redden cheeks gave away the obvious lie, but Mrs. Beale smiled anyway, and allowed Beca to convince herself of that.

"Oh, is that so?" Beca nodded. "Well then that's good." She looked down at the clear box in Beca's hand and gasped. "Is that the corsage?"

The track star grinned. "Yeah, it is." She held it up at a different angle so Mrs. Beale could see it better.

"It's gorgeous! Chloe's going to love it." Her comment relaxed Beca a bit. She had no idea how many stressful hours Beca had put into picking "the perfect corsage." And despite the careful choosing, Beca was **still** worried that Chloe wouldn't like it.

Mrs. Beale wrapped an arm around Beca's shoulders. "Come on. Chloe should be down any minute."

Beca eased into Claire's embrace and allowed the woman to guide her to the foyer. Her thoughts couldn't stop fluttering around in her brain, however. Even though Chace and Chad had been joking, there was one thing they had asked Beca that hadn't really crossed her mind before.

 ** _Did_** she want to marry Chloe?

Obviously it wouldn't be anytime soon. But overall, Beca had never really put much thought into what was going to happen to them after Chloe graduated. Beca was still a Junior, a year of high school still left in her timeline. They hadn't even had any discussions about maintaining a long distance relationship, or wether or not they were going to still be in a relationship at all.

And Beca certainly hadn't thought that far into the future where she and Chloe could possibly get married.

So the question continued to repeat itself: Did she plan on marrying Chloe Beale at some point in their lives? Was it something she really wanted to do?

Beca blinked back to reality when Claire suddenly hollered up the stairs.

"Chloe! Sweetie, Beca's here!"

"Almost done!"

They could hear Chloe's answer echo in the upper hallway and Beca chuckled. Chloe sounded so cute. But then again, she always sounded cute to Beca.

Claire turned back to face Beca and smiled. "She's so excited for tonight. I know you two are going to have a blast."

Beca smiled too, though she struggled to swallow a thick knot that had formed in the back of her throat. "That's the plan." Her grip tightened on the corsage box to keep it from falling when an unexpected, heavy hand suddenly patted down on her left shoulder.

"Sorry for the scare earlier." Chad said. "It was his idea." He gestured towards the living room where Chace was standing by their father. Beca made eye contact with him, but the redhead shook his head.

"Not me." He nudged the older man next to him.

Beca furrowed her brow and dropped her jaw, surprised.

Mr. Beale shrugged. "Sorry." He said, and brought his hands up defensively. "Guilty as charged."

Beca couldn't help but laugh at the innocent joke and shook her head. She had grown fairly close to the Beale family as time had gone on, and it was nice being reminded of how they had accepted her as one of their own.

Beca remembered the day they had come out to Chloe's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Beale hadn't been surprised at all. They knew their daughter was interested in both boys and girls– a discovery revealed to them by Chloe when she was in middle school– and according to Mrs. Beale, the way Chloe "wouldn't shut up" about Beca, only confirmed their theory that there had been something more going on between them.

Chace and Chad had been just as accepting. Though it made Beca laugh when she remembered that Chace had also won a bet against Chad that day, earning himself a nice twenty dollar bill from his brother.

The memory made Beca smile, but then she froze when she heard a sweet voice suddenly speak from behind her.

"I'm ready."

The track star felt a chill run up her spine at the familiar sound and she slowly turned around to face her girlfriend with an eager smile. Beca didn't expect her breath to hitch in her throat the way it did when her eyes finally fell on the gorgeous redhead standing graciously on the stairs, and yet, it did.

Chloe smiled widely, and there was a twinkle in her eye that seemed to be sparkling even brighter than usual. She looked like a delicate angel with her hair tied up in a loose bun, perfect curls coming down to accent her beautiful face. Beca's eyes continued to fall and looked over the stunning gown she was wearing.

The light aqua color accented Chloe's glowing eyes, and the dress only had one strap. It left Chloe's right shoulder completely exposed and there was an open slit running up her left side. And although the slit was fairly covered by loose ruffles, Beca could still make out Chloe's bare leg, and the small amount of revealing skin was enough to make Beca's insides hum.

She must have been standing there gawking like a silent idiot for a minute too long, because Mrs. Beale suddenly cleared her throat, and the sound was loud enough to snap Beca out of the mystical trance she had been put under by her favorite redheaded enchantress.

Beca blinked and shook her head. "Wow..." She finally said, unable to keep her eyes from dancing around Chloe's body. "You look amazing."

Chloe giggled. "Thank you." And her cheeks burned a shade darker as she gradually came down the rest of the stairs. She approached Beca and gently tucked an out-of-place portion of her tie back into her blazer. Beca thought her knees were going to give out. "You don't look too bad yourself."

And granted, yes, Chloe was naturally the most beautiful girl Beca had ever laid her eyes on. But **damn**. With the added accents– the formal hair, expert makeup and dazzling dress– Chloe looked like someone who had come from a dream. Or maybe even heaven itself.

Now it was Beca's turn to blush. "Thank you." She had never been someone's date to a prom before and her palms started to sweat when her mind blanked on what she was supposed do next. Thankfully an unexpected squeal from Mrs. Beale caused a delay long enough for Beca to come back to her senses.

"You guys are so cute! Don't put the corsage on yet. I want to take pictures." Beca released a nervous breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and Chloe straightened.

"Oh, right!" She said, and smiled as she placed a hand on Beca's shoulder. "Let me go grab your boutonniere. It's in the fridge." She winked and lifted her dress as she spun around to head into the kitchen.

Mrs. Beale snickered when Beca just stood there, waiting for Chloe's return. She leaned over and whispered. "You can't tie the box around her wrist, hun."

Beca glanced at her. "What?" And then down at the clear box she was still holding in her hands. "Oh, yeah." She swallowed. _Come on, Mitchell! Get your shit together!_ "Right." Beca walked over to a small table that had a plant and a few pictures on it and put the corsage box down. She didn't want to ruin the piece, so Beca made sure to be extra careful with it when she took it out.

By the time she finished and turned around, Chloe had already come back; boutonniere in one hand and a pin in the other.

"Got it." She grinned.

Beca smiled back. "Same."

They came closer and Chloe extended her right hand, cordially. Beca chuckled and expanded the band before gently pushing it into place.

The designs of the corsage and boutonniere also matched their outfits perfectly. Instead of the typical rose, Beca and Chloe decided they wanted to be different and chose white lilies that had some of the same aqua color lightly dyed on them. Considering they were going to be the most "different" couple at the event anyway– completely shattering the typical boy/girl prom pairing– Beca and Chloe figured, hey, why not tweak the flower tradition as well?

There were matching colored ribbons curled into the flowers, as well as white leaves, white fabric netting with silver squares, and a few tiny silver crystals. They were beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Chloe's smile when Beca finished putting it on.

Claire snapped a quick photo of the exchange.

"Thank you." Chloe said, and took hold of the boutonniere. "My turn." Beca smiled and moved her hair out the way so Chloe could pin the flower to her blazer. Beca could smell Chloe's perfume at this proximity. She recognized it instantly as her favorite scent from the famous Bath and Body Works compilation; Secret Wonderland. It made Beca smile, knowing well that Chloe had a pretty large collection of scents and lotions, but ultimately chose to wear the one she knew Beca liked best.

When Chloe finished, she patted the flower and took a step back. "Perfect."

Beca smiled but was startled when Chloe's mother squealed again. "Aww! Okay, okay." Claire brought her phone up again and gestured for them to get closer. "Time for photos."

The girls laughed and Beca took her place behind Chloe. Thankfully Beca had chosen to wear heels as well as Chloe. It left them both at an almost equal height. Beca slid her arms around Chloe's waist and held her close, inhaling the sweet perfume again, but also getting a whiff of the fruity shampoo she used. Beca sighed quietly. Chloe was intoxicating.

Chloe placed her arms over Beca's and they both smiled as they posed for the picture. Chloe's mother took two in the same position, then offered for them to pick a different pose. Chloe didn't hesitate and turned in Beca's arms to put a hand on her face and plant a tender kiss on her cheek.

Mrs. Beale smiled and took the picture, ignoring the way her twin sons rolled their eyes and made fake gagging gestures in the other room. After a few more shots, the girls were satisfied and decided it was time to go.

Mr. Beale opened the door for the girls and Beca took the opportunity to be charming.

She smirked at Chloe and lifted her elbow. "Ma' lady."

Chloe grinned and gladly interlocked their arms. "Thank you." They walked out the door but stopped to turn and face the Beale family one last time. Chloe waved with her free hand. "Bye you guys! Love you!"

Mrs. Beale waved back. "Bye, girls!" And blew a kiss to Chloe. "Have a great night!"

Beca shifted her eyes from Mrs. Beale and focused them on her husband, who was standing just behind her. With a serious face, Mr. Beale lifted a hand and extended his pointer and middle fingers towards his eyes, slowly turning them back around to face Beca. The track star couldn't help but laugh.

"I promise I'll take good care of her!" The last thing the girls saw was Mrs. Beale playfully swatting him in the arm and finally closing the front door.

Beca and Chloe walked a few more feet, but before they made it to the driveway, Chloe stopped to greet Beca with a proper kiss. She hooked a hand around the back of Beca's neck and pulled her closer, humming when their lips met and not caring if her lipstick got messed up.

Beca's eyes were hooded when they separated and she let Chloe keep a grip on her blazer as she spoke.

"Didn't want to say this in front of my parents, but," Chloe said, lightly tugging on the jacket, "you look so freakin' hot in this."

Beca laughed and gave her another quick kiss. "And _you_ ," she said, lifting her arm up and surprising Chloe with an unexpected twirl, "look absolutely gorgeous."

Chloe giggled and snuggled into Beca's embrace, kissing her again. "Thanks, babe."

They rested their foreheads on one another's for a moment before Beca separated them with a grin.

"So, you ready?"

Chloe smiled back. "Got my bag in the truck." It then dawned on Chloe that Beca hadn't been carrying her duffle bag this entire time. "Wait, where's your bag?"

Beca smirked. "In the car."

Chloe furrowed her brow, confused. "The car? How'd you get your bag in my car?"

"I didn't say it was in _your_ car." With a confident grin, Beca removed the car keys from her pocket and unlocked the black Honda accord that was parked across the street.

Chloe looked over at it and gasped. "Your dad gave you his car?!"

Beca chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't say **gave** , but more like, _loaned_ me his car." She popped open the truck. "Just for the weekend."

Chloe gushed. "Well then!" She opened her purse and pulled out her car keys. "Let me go grab my bag." After removing her cheer bag and re-locking her car, Beca escorted Chloe to her father's car and opened the door for her. "Such a gentleman."

Beca grinned. "You know it, babe." She helped her girlfriend into the car and tossed her bag into the trunk before going around to the driver's seat and starting the car.

Beca shifted the car into reverse. "Alright, princess." She said, and smiled as she took Chloe's hand. "Let's get you to prom."

* * *

This year's prom was being held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. It was a pretty fancy hotel, by Beca's standards, and the Barden High School ASB had done a fine job at decorating the ballroom space that had been rented for the occasion.

When they pulled up to the location, Beca handed the car keys to the valet that had been hired specifically for the event.

"Oh, wait! Pop the trunk." Chloe said, and Beca looked at her confused.

"For what?"

"We need our bags." Chloe clarified, as if it were obvious as to why she requested it in the first place. But her answer did nothing to settled Beca's confusion.

"Uh, we're not going to Stacie's house until later, Chlo. Why do we need our bags?"

Without answering, Chloe rolled her eyes and moved to the front seat of the car where she could open the trunk with the lever what was hidden under the seat. Beca watched in bewilderment as the cheerleader then proceeded to take out their bags without a care.

"What are you doing?" Beca asked.

Chloe grinned mischievously and handed Beca the bags. "Oh, did you think we were sleeping over at Stacie's tonight?"

Beca took the bags but furrowed her brow. "Uh, yeah? I thought that was the plan?"

Chloe smirked and stepped closer towards Beca, leaning in to whisper. "I thought of something better."

The breath against her ear gave Beca the chills. Not to mention Chloe's tone of voice making her knees grow weak again. She couldn't believe that Chloe had done what she was insinuating she had done.

Chloe stepped back, still wearing the teasing smirk on her lips and winked. "Come on." She said, grabbing ahold of Beca's hand. "We have to check in."

Beca was still in a bit of a shock as Chloe pulled her along to the front desk. A woman with long, dark brown hair and a name tag that read _"Miranda,"_ greeted them with a smile.

"Good evening, ladies. How can I help you?"

Beca let Chloe take the lead. Obviously.

"Reservation for Chloe Beale, please."

"Okay." Miranda said. "One moment." Beca watch curiously as the lady typed in a few things into the computer. "Can I have a credit card to put on record, please?"

"Oh, right!" Miranda smiled at Chloe's obvious excitement. Beca assumed she knew exactly why they were at the hotel in the first place. If the grand prom event wasn't a big enough hint, their formal outfits were definitely a dead give away. Chloe handed her card to the woman. "Here ya go."

"Thank you." The brunette swiped the card, then handed it back to Chloe. She typed a few more things into the computer and turned to grab the room keys from the other side of the front desk. She smiled as she held the cards out to the both of them. "Here you go. You're all set."

Chloe took her key right away. "Thank you!" But Beca hesitated for a moment. Was this really happening?

Beca eventually took her key and thanked the woman for her help, following Chloe to the elevators and feeling her heart pounding harder with every step she took. Was it out of nerves? No. Not this time. This time, Beca was just excited.

* * *

When they got to their room, Chloe inserted her card and opened the door. They were greeted by warm colors and classy furniture. There was a queen sized bed with white sheets sitting between two dark brown nightstands on the right hand side; next to a tan, right facing chaise chair. A dark brown table set was to the left, as well as a dark brown dresser drawer with a big flat screen tv on top. There was also a mini fridge to the left of that.

It was a gorgeous room, there was no doubt about that. Though, _not as gorgeous as Chloe_ , Beca thought.

"Dude…" Beca muttered, taking in the surroundings and awing at it's beauty. "How the hell did you score a room like this?"

Chloe was looking around too and shrugged. "I paid for it."

Beca's eyes went wide. "What?!" She stepped closer to her girlfriend. "Chlo, these rooms are like two hundred dollars a night. What do mean you paid for it?"

Chloe laughed at Beca's hysterics. "Actually this one is two twenty five, but–" She grinned. "Don't worry about it."

Beca wasn't buying it and dropped their bags to the floor, crossing her arms, suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes. "Where'd you get the money?"

Chloe wasn't letting up. "I've been saving my allowance money."

Beca's face fell with even more doubt. "Yeah right. Your parents only give you thirty bucks a week and we both know you spend it within two days on food and–" She waved her hands around. "Girlie shit."

Damn. Beca was good. When Chloe didn't answer, Beca quirked a brow.

Chloe finally gave in. "Ughh, fine!" And then she too crossed her arms with a pout. "You're no fun." Beca rolled her eyes and Chloe sighed. "…I asked my brothers for it."

Beca's face lit up. "Ha! I knew it!" And then her eyes went wide again. "Wait, what did you have to do to get it?"

"Yeah, about that." Chloe chuckled. "I promised to do all of their chores during summer vacation."

"Ooh…" Beca hissed. "That sucks."

Chloe just shrugged again. "Yeah," and moved closer to Beca so she could wrap her arms around her waist, "but it's _so_ worth it."

Beca smiled and captured Chloe's lips in a searing kiss. When Chloe's tongue starting asking for entrance, Beca moaned and granted her request without any hesitation. She wasn't sure how long they stood there, lost in their heated make out session, but eventually Beca pulled away, knowing well that if they stayed like that any longer, they might not make it to the actual prom.

"Okay, okay…" Beca breathed, her cheeks flushed and Chloe's lipstick smeared around her lips. "We better touch up and get a move on if we want to make it on time."

Chloe wiped at the bottom edge of her lip and giggled. "Sounds good."

* * *

After removing, then reapplying some of their makeup, Beca and Chloe walked with their arms linked and their heads up high, both proud to show each other off as they made their way down to the ballroom.

A line of high school students had formed at the main doors and Beca was able to make out one of the couples that was standing only a few feet away from them.

"Hey, Benji!"

The tall, curly haired boy turned and smiled when he saw Beca. "Oh, hey, Beca!" He waved, along with his date, who had also responded to Beca's call.

"Hi, Beca!" Emily grinned and dropped her jaw as her eyes looked over both Beca and Chloe. "Oh my stars! You guys look amazing!"

Chloe chuckled. "Aww, thank you, Em." She gestured towards the freshman's dress. "And look at you! You look amazing in that dress!"

"Purple is a great color on you." Beca nodded, and Emily smiled.

"Thank you, guys!" One of the teacher chaperones, who was checking students in, called for the next couple in line and Emily tugged on Benji's arm. "That's us, Benj."

Benji turned to smile and nod at the teacher. "Okay, we're coming." Then he looked at Beca and Chloe one more time. "See you guys in there?"

Beca nodded. "You know it."

Once it was their turn, Beca and Chloe handed the teacher's their tickets and signed themselves in. They then moved down to the last table, which held the infamous prom ballots and were handed pre-printed cards with two small pencils.

Beca was the first one done, scribbling her choice quickly and shoving the paper into a blue box that was covered with stars. Chloe finished a few moments later, but handled her paper more gently, and carefully folded it in half with a smile before dropping into the box as well.

Beca rolled her eyes. "You would."

Chloe was still smiling and she shrugged. "You love it."

Beca laughed and took hold of Chloe's hand, leading them into the ballroom but slowing down to take in the atmosphere.

This year's prom had the somewhat cheesy, but classic "A Night in Paris" theme. There were beautiful twinkling lights hanging on the walls and dangling from the ceiling. Glowing Eiffel towers were spread around the entire room and a large "Arc de Triomphe" was positioned by the entrance where the prom pictures were being taken.

Students were scattered about; some by the food displays, others chatting with friends at the decorative tables. The dance floor was gradually increasing with teenagers, and overall, everyone looked like they were having a great time.

After admiring the busy surroundings, Chloe's eyes landed back on the Arc and she tightened her grip around Beca's arm.

"Come on, Becs!" She smiled. "Let's get our picture taken."

Beca chuckled and allowed the redhead to pull her towards the line of students who were also waiting for their turn. As they exchanged casual conversation, Beca cringed at a call that suddenly rang in her ears.

"Becaw!"

Beca turned in place and greeted her best friend with smile. "Hey, Jesse."

The brunette boy took in Beca's outfit before looking back down at his own. "No way!" He said. "We are totally twinning right now!"

Chloe laughed and Beca rolled her eyes, though a small curl couldn't resist but expose itself at the corner of her lips.

"No offense, Jess–" Chloe started, casually sliding her arm around Beca's waist. "But I'm pretty sure Beca wears it better."

Beca's face animated as her eyes widened and her mouth opened to make a small 'O'.

Jesse shook his head with a laugh. "Can't disagree with you there." He stuck with the girls a little while longer, helping to pass the time as they gradually moved closer to the photographer. When there was only two couples left in front of them, Jesse bid the girls adieu, and merged back into the crowd in search of some other friends.

It was fun getting to pose for another picture. This time Chloe chose to turn around and face Beca, holding her close as they smiled widely at the camera man in front of them. They earned a few chide glances from certain peers who still weren't as welcoming with same sex couples as most of the school was, but Beca and Chloe had grown used to it, and as they continued to happily pose so closely together, they honestly couldn't have cared less.

After the photos– and a particular growl from Beca's stomach– the girls migrated to the food tables and indulged themselves in the selection of finger foods. They collected a few items onto their small plates and began their search for a place to sit.

Chloe's eyes darted around for a few moments before landing on a group of familiar faces, and she smiled when one of them made eye contact with her.

"Look," Chloe said, "there's Aubrey and the girls! We can sit with them." Beca couldn't respond with words– considering she had a small triangle shaped sandwich stuffed in her mouth that was protruding through her cheeks to the point where she looked like a chipmunk– but she nodded and followed closely behind her girlfriend.

Aubrey was quick to stand up and squeal as she greeted her best friend with a tight hug. "Oh my God, Chlo!" She raked her eyes over Chloe's dress and awed. "You look amazing!"

Chloe gushed. "Thanks, Aubrey. But look at you!" The redhead couldn't resist returning the compliment as she took in her best friend's elegant gown. The long red dress fit her hour glass figure perfectly, and the red on her lips equally stood out against her blue eyes and curled blonde hair.

"Doesn't she look gorgeous?" Aubrey blushed when Stacie suddenly appeared next to her and she tried not to flinch when her hand glided down her exposed back.

Chloe, oblivious to the feverish contact, simply nodded. "Definitely."

Beca, however, was standing at a different angle and noticed Stacie's hand making it's slow journey down Aubrey's back. Beca narrowed her eyes curiously at the gesture, but wasn't sure what to make of it. She decided her focus was better set on the delicious sandwich she was still chewing in her mouth.

Beca and Chloe sat down in the remaining seats and chatted with the girls for a while. The handful of conversations were all engaging, though when the excitement of graduation became the newest topic, Beca couldn't help but feel left out.

She knew she still had a year of high school left, but Chloe was already a senior. In just a few weeks Chloe would be graduating and on her way to Barden University. It was new and exciting and Beca couldn't have been more happy for her. But at the same time, Beca also couldn't help but feel sad.

She didn't want to be so far away from Chloe. And sure, it wasn't a _dramatic_ long distance relationship, but still. Beca couldn't resist the fear that maybe, just maybe, Chloe might find someone else to love in college.

Someone better.

The negative thoughts where pushed away when Chloe placed her hand on top of Beca's. "Babe… Are you okay?"

Beca blinked her vision back to normal and shook her head. "Yeah, of course." She placed a thumb over Chloe's fingers and smiled. "I'm fine." Chloe's brilliant smile in return reminded Beca of what, or rather, _who_ she was there for, she didn't want to worry about their future any longer. This was Chloe's night and Beca wanted to make sure she was grounded and completely there for her.

The music that was playing in the atmosphere changed and Beca smirked when she recognized it to be "I'm the One" by DJ Kahled. She quickly stood up and used her grip on Chloe's hand to pull her up with her.

She tugged the redhead close. "Wanna dance?"

Chloe grinned at Beca's tenacity. It was such a turn on.

"Sure."

Beca held onto Chloe's hand as she guided them through the crowd and onto the dance floor. The prom may have been Paris themed, but Beca was glad that the music was still very much American.

The lights were glowing and flashing about as the music vibrated through their bodies. It didn't take long for the girls to find their rhythm, and since this particular song had a calmer tempo, Beca and Chloe chose to just have fun and face each other as they swayed to the beat.

Chloe would giggle and grin like a girl with a crush every time Beca chose to spin her around. She was having her dream night with her dream date and she couldn't have been happier. Beca was everything Chloe never knew she always wanted, and wether Beca was aware of it or not, Chloe didn't plan on ever letting her go.

As the song played it's final verse, Beca slid her hands around Chloe's hips and brought her closer to her to look in her eyes as she sang the final words.

 _"_ _Don't you know girl, don't you know girl? I am the one for you…"_

But Beca wasn't _just_ singing. She was **conveying** her real feelings to Chloe. She wanted to make sure the cheerleader knew that these weren't just lyrics to a song. These words were a confession that she was trying to express.

 _"_ _Don't you know girl, don't you know girl? I am the one for you…"_

The way Chloe's eyes desperately flicked between hers confirmed to Beca that she understood the message she was trying to communicate. The track star leaned forward and gave Chloe a quick, but satisfying, kiss and grinned when they separated. _"Yeah, I'm the one."_

Chloe smiled and slipped her hand behind Beca's neck to pull her in for another kiss, pressing their foreheads together when they separated.

"Yes you are."

They remained in the romantic moment for just a few seconds more, until the music shifted to a new song. Beca and Chloe went back to dancing for fun and were later joined by Stacie, Aubrey and a few more of their friends.

Beca and Chloe mostly danced with each other, despite the addition of the other girls. At some point, Beca noticed– and found it interesting– that Stacie and Aubrey were also gravitating more towards each other than they were with their other friends.

When the song "Swalla" came on, Stacie didn't hesitate, nor was shy, to press her backside up against Aubrey's front and grind on her. Beca saw this and looked around with widened eyes.

Was no one else really noticing a difference between these two?

Her mind was pleasantly distracted, though, when Chloe's backside suddenly appeared in front of her as well, just as Stacie's had with Aubrey, and when Chloe's hips moved and rolled against Beca's pelvis, Beca decided there was nothing else she wanted to think about.

* * *

After dancing in ways that probably should have been deemed inappropriate for a High School venue, the student's flow was suddenly disturbed when the sound of a screeching mic came blaring through the speakers.

"Is this thing on?" Their principal, Mr. Smith, was standing on the stage patting the microphone with one hand and holding a white envelope in the other. When the students took notice of what he was doing, they all– mostly the girls– started to migrate closer to the stage.

Chloe giggled when Beca grew protective and wrapped her arms around her, keeping her close as the rest of the students pushed pass them like a bunch of animals.

"Okay, can you guys hear me?" Mr. Smith asked and the young crowd cheered a response. "Fantastic. Alright…" He cleared his throat. "Good evening, boys and girls! I hope you all have been having a good night. Before we continue, I would like to announce our Prom King and Queen for this year!"

The crowd roared, louder than they had the first time, and Beca flinched at the sound.

"I voted for Stacie," came from Beca's left. "Who'd you vote for?"

Beca didn't remove her eyes from the stage. "I voted for us."

Chloe furrowed her brow. "What?" And she moved Beca's arm so she could face her. "We weren't on the ballot."

A mischievous smirk suddenly appeared on Beca's lips. "I know. I scratched out their names and wrote ours down instead."

Chloe couldn't believe– well, actually she could– that Beca would do something so silly. She playfully smacked her arm with a chuckle and shook her head, disapprovingly.

"You're horrible."

Beca shrugged. "You love it."

Chloe smiled and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "Yes I do."

"Alright, alright." Mr. Smith gestured downward with his hands. "Settle down, kids." He took out his reading glasses and put them on before opening the envelope. "Okay! Your Prom King this year is…" He squinted his eyes to read the name and the suspense was excruciating. "Mr. Luke Williams!"

The crowd rang out in an approving applause and though Beca initially rolled her eyes, slowly applauded as well, a small smile evident on her lips.

"Of course he won."

Chloe could hear Beca muttering next to her and lifted her wrist to show Beca the bracelet she was wearing.

"But you'll always have _this_ victory over him." Beca grinned at the memory of how Chloe had gotten that bracelet.

After winning the fifty dollars– and the girlfriend of her dreams– Beca decided to spend the money on a sliver tennis-like bracelet, with cerulean Swarovski crystals that Beca claimed "matched Chloe's eyes perfectly."

Chloe wore that bracelet everyday since then.

Beca stared at the piece of jewelry and smiled. "I'm glad you like it so much."

"Like it?" Chloe said. "I love it, Becs! It's beautiful."

Beca stared at her. "Just like you." She could see a light blush appearing on Chloe's cheeks, but the redhead simply narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Flatterer."

Beca chuckled and turned her attention back to the stage where Luke had finally taken his plastic crown.

Mr. Smith tapped on the microphone again. "Okay, and now! The moment you've all been waiting for…"

Beca glanced over at Chloe and grinned when she noticed the redhead was crossing her fingers tightly.

"Your Prom Queen this year is… Miss Stacie Conrad!"

Beca jolted when Chloe initially screamed, but then started to jump up and down in excitement with her.

A bright, overhead light searched the crowd and spotted a celebrating Stacie next to Aubrey, who gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Beca quirked a brow at Stacie's bashful reaction, but the gesture was so quick that no one else seemed to think anything of it.

"Yes! Congrats, Stacie!" Chloe shouted, her excitement for her best friend's victory clearly evident.

Beca's eyes were still suspiciously narrowed on the taller girl as she made her way to the stage. "Okay, is it just me, or is there something going on between Stacie and Aubrey?"

Chloe looked at her, befuddled. "What? No way! What makes you say that?"

Beca watched Stacie accept her crown and flowers with a brilliant smile and shook her head. "I don't know. I'm just getting that vibe."

Chloe looked at her friend on the stage, then looked back at Aubrey, who was grinning proudly. Chloe considered the possibility for the slightest second, but ultimately shook her head. "Nah."

After Luke and Stacie accepted their new titles, Mr. Smith announced that it was time for their "royal dance" and cued the DJ to play "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper.

"How cheesy." Beca mumbled. But if she were to dance to a "cheesy" song with anyone, she was more than happy for it to be Chloe Beale. Beca extended her hand and Chloe smiled as she placed hers on top. "Shall we?"

She held onto Chloe gently as they slowly swayed to the classic song. Chloe placed her head comfortably on Beca's shoulder, and Beca took the opportunity to once again enjoy the sweet, fruity smell of Chloe's shampoo.

Beca had never felt this close to someone before in her entire life. She was never prepared to ever meet someone like Chloe, but **_God_** was she grateful that she did. And Beca knew they were young, and that they still had their whole lives ahead of them, but if Chloe was going to be apart of that journey, then Beca was sure her life would always have a light burning bright within it.

 _"_ _If you're lost you can look-and you will find me  
_ _Time after time  
_ _If you fall I will catch you-I'll be waiting  
_ _Time after time"_

The lyrics were registering in Beca's brain and she felt herself being overwhelmed with those anxious emotions again that had been building up in her for quite sometime. She wasn't sure if it was really the best time to talk about such things, but if she didn't say something about it now, then Beca wasn't sure she would ever be able to.

Beca kept her eyes down and cleared her throat. "Hey, Chlo?" Chloe hummed a response but didn't move her head. "Do you think… um–" _Come on, Mitchell. Just say it!_ "Do you think we'll be together… forever?" _Fuck, that sounded stupid._

Chloe tensed against Beca's body and the track star was beginning to regret ever opening her mouth.

Chloe lifted her head to look into Beca's eyes, and her soft smile was already easing the brunette's anxiety. "Well, I mean… That is the plan, isn't it?" There was a flash of worry that appeared in her eyes, and it took Beca a second to realize how Chloe could have misinterpreted why she was asking such a question.

Beca squeezed her hands that were still around Chloe's waist, reassuringly. "Oh my God, yeah, it is. Believe me," she breathed, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Chlo." She shook her head, frustratingly. "I'm sorry that came out the wrong way. I didn't mean to scare you, it's just–" Her words continued to fly out of her mouth like a snowball effect, and before Beca knew it she was nervously rambling again.

It had been a while since she had done this in front of Chloe.

"What if you meet someone in college?" Beca asked, trying her best not to cry. "What if you meet someone who's smarter than me, or prettier than me, or isn't as awkward as me?" Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but Beca didn't notice and kept going. "What if the long-distance thing doesn't work out and you choose to just date someone at your college?" Her brow furrowed with fear, her eyes gradually glistening. "I mean you're gorgeous, Chloe! Who wouldn't want to date you? Who wouldn't want t–"

The unexpected press of Chloe's soft lips finally put an end to Beca's spiraling, and she whimpered as Chloe's tongue easily slipped inside. She kissed Beca slowly, but thoroughly, and she could feel a wet tear that escaped Beca's left eye touch her cheek.

When they separated, Chloe was wearing an expression that was unreadable, and Beca wasn't sure what she was going to say next.

But then a smile appeared and Beca relaxed when Chloe asked, "You want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

And it was **_so_** Chloe to witness an entire outburst like that and only take away the **one** good thing about it. It was one of the many things Beca loved about Chloe. She was truly an amazing person.

Beca searched for Chloe's hands and laced their fingers together. More tears were forcing their way to her eyes, but she held them back long enough to nod her head. "Yeah." She breathed a short laugh. "Yeah, I really do."

 _"_ _If you're lost you can look-and you will find me  
_ _Time after time  
_ _If you fall I will catch you-I'll be waiting  
_ _Time after time"_

They kissed again, but the kiss felt different than the previous ones they had shared that night. It was like they were sealing a promise. A promise to love each other no matter what obstacles came their way. To always find their way back to each other, no matter which path life had in store for them.

"I love you, Beca Mitchell." Chloe grinned, wiping a tear from Beca's cheek.

The track star smiled back and kissed the hand that was still pressed against her face. "I love you, Chloe Beale."

The song ended and the music switched back to a more upbeat tune. Chloe, though loving the intimate moment she and Beca were sharing, wanted to get back to having fun. She took a step back and let her hands drag down Beca's arms until they were linked with her hands again.

Chloe took a deep breath. "Okay." And smiled. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom, and when I get back, we're going to dance our asses off." She emphasized the sentence by lifting her hands up over her head and shook her hips in a Shakira like fashion. It made Beca laugh.

"Want me to go with you?"

"No it's okay." Chloe said. "Go mingle with your friends. I won't take long."

Beca nodded. "Alright." And sent Chloe off with a quick peck of her lips.

When the redhead was out of her sight, Beca blew out a huff of air and scanned her surroundings in search of some familiar faces. She grinned when she spotted Benji, Jesse and Emily chatting on one of the white sofas that was located by the food. She nudged her way through the dancing crowd and headed straight for her them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chloe had made her way to the nearest restroom, but sighed when it seemed that every other girl in the school decided to go to the bathroom at the same exact time. The line was fairly long, and it took Chloe about five minutes of waiting to finally give up and try to find a different bathroom instead.

She walked to the lobby and asked the front desk if there were any other restrooms on the first floor. The man directed her to one that was located on the other side of the lobby and Chloe was relived to find that there wasn't a long line waiting for her at this one.

She opened the door without any preparation for what she was about to see and froze when she recognized the couple that was feverishly making out on the sink counter.

"Oh my God!" Chloe gasped.

"Chloe!" Aubrey yelped, her eyes wide and her cheeks burning a shade darker than they already were as her legs quickly uncrossed themselves from Stacie's midriff.

Stacie immediately stood up straight, red lipstick sloppily smeared all over her mouth. "Oh, shit…" But then she couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

Aubrey glared at her. "Stacie! This isn't funny!"

And now it was Chloe's turn to laugh. "This is hilarious!"

Aubrey still didn't find any humor in the moment and hopped off of the counter, fixing her dress and hair as she approached her best friend.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry we didn't tell you!" She looked over at Stacie sheepishly. "It's still fairly new, and we wanted to make sure it wasn't _'just some phase'_ between us." Her use of air quotes was so Aubrey, and it only made Chloe laugh more because she knew Aubrey only really used them whenever she was nervous.

Chloe also couldn't believe that Beca had been right.

She shook her head. "Aubrey, it's fine! You don't have to apologize to me." She looked over the blonde's shoulder and grinned at the wink Stacie threw at her. "I couldn't be happier for you guys!"

"Really?" Aubrey asked, worrying her bottom lip.

Chloe nodded, reassuringly. "Definitely."

Stacie then joined her friends by the entrance and slipped an arm around Aubrey's waistline. "Yeah, after you and Beca got together, I figured why not try and finally make a move on the girl I've had a crush on since freshman year."

Aubrey looked at her, adoringly. "Freshman year?"

Stacie smiled. "Yup. From the moment you sat in front of me in Biology class."

Aubrey grinned at the memory. "And you asked me if I had an extra pencil." Aubrey shook her head. "You didn't even need that pencil, did you?"

Stacie shrugged, humorously. "I guess you'll never know."

The girls chuckled and the pressure in Chloe's bladder reminded her of why she had gone to the bathroom in the first place.

"Well I apologize for 'clitorfering'…" She said, slyly; mostly towards Stacie since she was the one who had originally introduced her to the phrase– a female version of "cock-blocking"– "but I really need to pee." Chloe walked over to one of the stalls and didn't care if her friends heard her empty her tank out.

But Aubrey and Stacie didn't care either. Aubrey was more focused on the way Stacie was playfully nibbling on her ear. They straightened up again when Chloe exited the stall and the redhead chuckled.

"You guys don't have to stop just cause I'm here." She moved to the sink and started to wash her hands. "You should see half the stuff Beca and I get up to." Her smirk was sinful and though Aubrey made a fake gagging gesture, Stacie smirked back and nodded in approval.

"Oh I bet. A track star with athletic endurance and a cheerleader with incredible flexibility?" She snorted. "I'm almost jealous. You guys must have amazing sex."

Aubrey gasped and swatted Stacie's shoulder. "Excuse me?!"

Stacie laughed and squeezed the offended blonde into a tight side hug. "But not as amazing as ours!" She corrected.

Aubrey narrowed her eyes. "Nice save."

Chloe laughed at her friends and now that her bladder was empty, the thought of what she _could_ be doing with Beca shot a different kind of pressure down between her legs. She wanted to get Beca upstairs and out of her formal outfit as soon as she possibly could. So without wasting anymore time, Chloe said her goodbyes.

"Well, I'm gonna get going." She opened the bathroom door and took one step out. "Don't want to keep a lady waiting."

Stacie understood _exactly_ what Chloe meant and grinned as she waved goodbye. "Have fun, you two."

Aubrey looked at Chloe with soft eyes. "Thanks for being so understanding. We'll talk more about it tomorrow."

Chloe smiled. "Sounds good to me." And then she winked. "Have a goodnight."

With that, Stacie and Aubrey were left all alone in the restroom again, and Stacie didn't hesitate to start sliding her hand down over Aubrey's front.

"Now… where were we?"

But Aubrey stilled her. "Wait." And turned in place so she could look at her. "Maybe we should find somewhere a little more… private."

Stacie thought for a moment and smiled when an idea struck in her mind. "I think I saw a conference room in the hallway." She started moving her hand again and grinned at the small gasp Aubrey released when it found it's way under her dress. "Pretty sure it has a lock."

Aubrey groaned and grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Chloe made it back to the prom and bit her bottom lip as she searched for her tiny girlfriend. It took a few minutes of some wandering, but Chloe smiled in relief when she finally spotted the track star chatting with her friends on the couch.

Chloe approached them with a friendly grin. "Hey, guys." The group all returned the nice greeting and Beca stood up.

"Hey, babe."

Chloe took hold of her hand and slightly tugged as she asked her friends, "Mind if I steal her away for the rest of the night?"

Beca looked at her, confused. "The rest of the night?"

Chloe leaned in closer to her ear. "Just go with it." She whispered.

Jesse shook his head. "Nope! By all means."

"Thanks, guys." Chloe smiled. "Have a goodnight!" She and Beca waved them goodbye, before Chloe then turned and pulled Beca along with her. When it was clear that they were headed for the exit, Beca furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What happened to dancing our asses off?"

Chloe didn't answer her until they reached the elevator. She pressed the 'up' button, then pulled Beca in for a rough kiss.

"…Oh." Beca grinned, goofily.

"Sorry." Chloe said, her eyes focused on Beca's lips. "But I need you." The elevator door opened and Beca laughed when Chloe gripped her blazer and pushed her inside. "Like, **now**."

* * *

By the time they made it to the room, Beca's tie was already loosened and Chloe's dress was tugged down enough to reveal some of her strapless bra. They giggled as they stumbled to the room, and before Beca could get the key out, Chloe pinned her to the door and began an assault on her neck, not caring if anyone saw them.

It was an internal struggle for Beca to break away from Chloe's affections, but if they wanted to make it to the bed, Beca was going to have to press pause long enough to at least open the door.

"Wait, wait…" Beca breathed, her chest rising and falling against an equally panting Chloe. "I need to get the door open."

Chloe hummed. "Okay…" She whined, stopping her lips so Beca could turn and face the door. Chloe kept her hands wandering, however, and she impishly slid them under Beca's shirt, gliding them up until her palms were filled with soft warmth.

Beca fumbled with the card. "You're not making this any easier."

Chloe grinned, shamelessly giving Beca a light squeeze. "My bad."

Beca's eyes fluttered shut as she dipped her head back and groaned. Her knees were growing weaker by the second, and it took every bit of the strength she had left in her to slide the key into the scanner and finally get the door open.

Beca lost her balance for a moment and almost fell flat on her face. Thankfully Chloe still had an unholy grip on her chest and kept her upright. They clumsily moved inside and Chloe managed to push the door closed with her foot.

As she tried to use the same foot to remove one of her heels, Chloe accidentally tripped forward and bumped into Beca, causing the brunette to tumble backward and bump her head on the wall.

"Ow!" Beca laughed, reaching a hand back to massage the impact.

Chloe gasped and brought her hands up to her mouth. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, baby." She placed a hand over Beca's, but luckily the collision hadn't been too hard.

"It's okay." Beca said. "I've hit my head harder."

Chloe made a disapproving face at what they both knew Beca was talking about. When she had hit her head at Stacie's party, it had been the scariest moment of Chloe's life.

"Not funny." She replied. "You know that memory still scares me."

Beca wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist. "I know, I know." She murmured, and kissed her softly. "I'm sorry."

Chloe held her gaze but continued to caress the back of her head. "You sure you're okay?" And it was **so** like Chloe to always consider Beca first. The track star will never understand how she ever got so lucky.

Beca smiled. "Yes, Chlo. I'm fine. I promise." The hand in her hair suddenly felt a little tighter, and by the look of Chloe's darkening eyes, Beca knew that the fire had reignited inside her.

"Good." Chloe yanked Beca forward and crashed their lips together again, moving her away from the wall and blindly guiding them towards the bed. Luckily there weren't anymore obstacles along the way, and Beca managed to slip her heels off with ease before the backs of her legs hit the edge of the bed.

Chloe toppled them down onto the soft mattress, and she giggled as she gave a slight roll of her hips. "God, you look so hot tonight." She said, giving Beca's swollen lips a quick lick. It made the track star shiver.

Beca knew Chloe loved to exchange sexy banter in the bedroom. And although it took Beca a few attempts to finally get comfortable with it, by now, Beca had become a pro.

"Not as hot as you're gonna look–" Beca quickly spun them around, using her thighs to pin Chloe to the mattress and lowering herself down to finish whispering, "when I'm finished with you."

Chloe moaned. She **loved** when Beca took charge. She could feel her arousal growing by the second.

"Ooh…" Chloe purred, scratching a hand down Beca's scalp. "Show me what you've got then, lover." She grabbed Beca's tie and used it to tug the brunette forward. They fell back onto the soft covers and Chloe groaned when Beca licked her way into her mouth.

Beca wasn't asking for permission, though. No. Beca was _claiming_ what she already knew was hers, and Chloe felt her insides going haywire as her tongue massaged confidentially against her own.

Beca kept their mouths together but lifted her upper body enough to remove her blazer. Her tie came next, but since it was already practically off, it didn't take much effort for Beca to slip it off and toss it to the side.

Chloe didn't want Beca to do all of the work, however, and brought her hands up to start unbuttoning her shirt.

Beca leaned back a bit and chuckled. "Someone's impatient."

"Sorry." Chloe panted, finishing the last button and gracelessly shoving the white material off of her shoulders. "I just need to touch you." She snaked her hands over Beca's exposed skin and the track star could feel goosebumps rising wherever her fingers grazed.

Chloe kept her hands moving, down her arms and over her abdomen, looping them around to get to the clasp of Beca's black bra.

She expertly unhooked the undergarment, but Beca quickly brought a hand up to hold it in place.

"Hey–" Chloe pouted, but Beca still didn't let go.

"I haven't even taken a single thing off of you yet."

Chloe's pout only grew in size, until her eyes flicked down to her wrist and a smile suddenly curved on her face.

"Here." Chloe said, holding the corsage out for Beca to remove.

Beca looked at her, unamused. "Very funny." But Chloe didn't move and instead batted her eyelashes as she patiently waited for the brunette to give in.

And _of course_ , with eyes like Chloe Beale's, **how could she not**?

Beca rolled her eyes with a huff and used her free hand to remove the flower bracelet. "Fine." When she moved to place it on the nearby nightstand, Chloe took advantage of the distraction and playfully yanked Beca's bra out of her hands.

"Whoops." Chloe smirked, Beca glaring back at her in shock.

"Why you little–" A fit of giggles suddenly sprang out when Beca attacked Chloe in her most ticklish spots.

"Ah!" Chloe squeaked, writhing around and struggling to escape Beca's evil clutches. The laughter eventually turned into moans, when Beca's hands stopped at Chloe's breasts and started to rhythmically knead at the soft flesh.

"I think this would feel a lot better for you," Beca said, squeezing a tad harder, "if you finally let me take this dress off."

Chloe hummed. "Yeah…" She agreed, rolling over on the bed to reveal the back zipper. "I think you're right."

Beca happily took hold of the zipper, but wanted to tease Chloe. She casually pulled it down at an agonizing pace.

"Um–" Chloe muttered, twisting her head back to look at Beca. "Need some help back there?"

"Shh…" Beca grinned, flipping her hair to one side as she lowered herself down to trail light kisses down the redhead's back. Chloe released a breath and relaxed her body as she closed her eyes and indulged in the light, wet heat that was being left on her skin.

When Beca finally reached the end, she lowered the dress just enough to keep Chloe's back exposed. She ran her hands up the cheerleader's cream colored skin and when she reached her shoulders, pressed a little harder and moved her thumbs in a circular motion.

"Oh my God…" Chloe moaned. "I have the best girlfriend in the world."

Beca quietly laughed to herself and continued her actions as she brought her mouth down to Chloe's ear. "I just want you to be happy." Chloe smiled and Beca kissed her neck. "But yes." She continued, sitting back up. "You do have the best girlfriend in the world."

Chloe chuckled, then remained silent as Beca continued to rub and massage the small knots out of her neck and shoulders.

And although the stroking was meant to be calming and relaxing, the arousal Chloe already had burning in her deepest core only flourished with intensity. She appreciated Beca's desire to take things slow and make the night as romantic as possible, but if Chloe didn't get any kind of relief soon, she was sure she was going to spontaneously combust.

When Beca caressed a tender spot on Chloe's neck, the redhead bit her bottom lip and whimpered, her hips giving a slight roll into the mattress in search of some kind of friction. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Beca– considering she was sitting in the dip between Chloe's lower back and her rear end– so she decided to assist in her girlfriend's attempts.

Beca kneaded her thumbs even harder and complimented the motion with a firm roll of her hips. Chloe moaned in appreciation, and Beca took her gratification as a sign to do it again.

So she did.

With every stroke of her hands, Beca ground her pelvis harder, and harder into Chloe's backside. The silk like dress against Beca's cotton trousers was doing wonders to her sexual senses, and she picked up the pace, reveling in the pleasure she was equally receiving.

Beca could hear Chloe's satisfied sounds coming faster and more irregularly. She knew if she kept up her momentum, Chloe would finish in a matter of minutes. But as much as Beca wanted to get her girlfriend off, she also wanted to make sure that she did it properly.

Beca forced herself to stop grinding and reluctantly climbed off of the bed. Chloe immediately felt the loss and tried to sit herself up.

"Beca? Why'd you–" A hand at the center of Chloe's back stopped her in place and she shuddered when another hand joined it. They moved under the edges of her dress to steadily take the blue garment off, and Chloe slowly lifted herself, following the path of the falling dress, until she was sitting up on the bed on her knees. The dress fell around her thighs, and felt Beca's front soundly press against her back.

Chloe crooned quietly as Beca found a spot below Chloe's ear to kiss and nibble on. As she paid tender attention to the redhead's neck, Beca's left hand found it's way to the back of her bra. She swiftly unclasped it and nudged it off so it could join hers and fall to the ground.

Beca kissed down her neck, over her shoulder, then back again; her hand taking a lazy journey down her front until it reached the waistband of Chloe's white, lacy underwear.

Chloe took in a sharp breath when Beca slid her hand over the soft material and used three strong fingers to press into the moist heat, then drag them back up with purpose.

"Oh, God…" Chloe moaned, lifting a hand to reach back and tangle into Beca's brown hair. Beca grinned and brought her right hand up to caress Chloe's unattended breast, her left repeating it's previous action, before coming back up and slipping under the thin barrier.

The strained sound that came from the back of Chloe's throat only spurred Beca on.

"You wet for me, baby?" Beca asked, and Chloe could only nod vigorously in response.

Beca was beyond thankful to have finally found a sexual confidence within herself. Now she could love Chloe the way she deserved to be loved, and Beca didn't have to worry about wether or not she was doing a good job.

Because, let's face it. Chloe had taught her well.

Beca playfully explored her girlfriend's slickness. It wasn't enough to push her towards a tittering climax, but it was just tender enough to keep her desperately squirming for more. Beca held on to the wriggling cheerleader as Chloe started to steadily rock herself against Beca's hand.

"Stop teasing." Chloe whimpered.

Beca snickered. "Now where would the fun be in that?"

Chloe groaned in frustration as Beca briefly dipped a bold finger into her and firmly raked her tongue up the redhead's neck just to drive her that much more insane.

"You're cruel." Chloe could hardly get the words out, finding herself feeling lightheaded and drunk with the magic Beca was creating between her legs.

Beca smirked at the complaint and suddenly removed her hand from Chloe's underwear. "You sure about that?"

"Beca!" Chloe whined and the brunette laughed as she then used her grip to tug the redhead off the bed, swiftly pulling the white undergarment off, then turning her around and collapsing them both back onto the bed again.

"Okay." Beca said, and the self-assured grin she was expressing made Chloe's stomach do flips. "I'm done teasing you now." She leant down and placed a doting kiss on her lips and Chloe smiled.

"Good!" They kissed again but Chloe quickly broke it when she felt something against her legs that still needed to be removed from the situation. "Hang on." She said, lowering her hands to unbutton Beca's black pants. "These need to go."

With a chuckle, Beca shoved the trousers down her legs and kicked them off when they reached her ankles. She didn't hesitate to also remove the black boy shorts she had been wearing underneath, and when she finished, she promptly rejoined Chloe on the cool sheets.

"Better?" Beca asked, comfortably laying herself down, over Chloe's warm body.

The redhead started to move her hands up towards her hair. "Almost." It took her a few moments, but eventually Chloe managed to take out all of the bobby pins she had on that were holding her bun up in it's pretty position. Her red locks came cascading down her shoulders in perfect curls, and Beca swore she lost her breath for the slightest second. "Now it's better."

Beca smiled and kissed Chloe with a force that made the cheerleader giggle. Their tongues danced and twirled to their own passionate accord and as Beca pressed her thigh into Chloe's core, she could tell immediately that the redhead was more than ready for her.

Beca sucked Chloe's bottom lip into her mouth, eliciting another appreciative moan from her girlfriend, and nibbled on it before letting go and kissing a path down the front of her body. Beca's hands slid upward until they were grasping at soft flesh again and her mouth continued to lower until she reached Chloe's belly button and playfully swirled her tongue over the ticklish area.

Beca promised that she was done with her teasing, though, so she didn't linger there for too long, and descended further down to where she knew Chloe wanted her the most.

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut with anticipation, lightly jerking her body when ever Beca placed a soft kiss everywhere _except_ the one particular place that was aching to be touched again. But before Chloe could speak out about her impatience again, Beca was licking her way up the groove where Chloe's thigh met her womanhood, and without anymore delay, ** _finally_** wrapped her mouth around the sensitive bundle of nerves that were begging for attention.

Chloe cried out in ecstasy, her back arching off of the bed, and her veins flooding with enticing pleasure. Beca used her tongue to stroke and massage her, adding a bit of vibration when she looked up at Chloe's expression and groaned at the sight.

Chloe was beyond attractive in **any** given situation. But the way she looked while Beca was pleasuring her– cheeks flushed, mouth opened, and brow furrowed in pure bliss– it was definitely one of Beca's favorites.

Chloe looked down. She wanted to **see** Beca loving her in the most intimate of ways, and when the track star glanced up, Chloe bit down hard on her lower lip and ran her fingers through her brown hair.

Beca smiled against her and brought her right hand down to lace her fingers with Chloe's free hand. She picked up her pace, switching from licking and teasing to nuzzling and sucking, and Chloe's screams only increased in volume.

"Oh my God, baby!" Chloe moaned. "You're so good at that."

Beca was proud of herself and loved the reassurance from Chloe. She desperately wanted to bring Chloe to her peak. This was her night after all, and Beca wanted to show her just how much she loved and appreciated her.

Beca hooked her arms under Chloe's thighs, anchoring them in place as best as she could and pressed her tongue even harder into her.

The redhead was starting to feel overwhelmed. Like all of her senses were on overload. Her stomach was tight, her chest was heaving and she could her heart beating hard in her ears. She couldn't convey any actual words, her cries and moans coming out like broken sounds. And when Beca sucked with particular vigor, zealously shaking her head as she did so, Chloe swore she could see stars.

Chloe forcibly arched up and off of the bed, her mouth falling open in a silent cry as she gripped onto the sheets until her knuckles were white. Her body jerked at a random cadence and she couldn't help but hold Beca firmly in place with her thighs, her body still riding out the trembling waves of her climax.

Beca waited until her girlfriend's breathing calmed and her legs relaxed to give her one last long lick.

Chloe was still catching her breath and she jerked at the contact, her senses still extra sensitive, and she groaned. "Get. Up. Here." She lifted her head to look down at Beca. " **Now**."

Beca laughed. "Yes ma'am." And climbed up Chloe's recovering body, a presumptuously grin plastered on her face. "You okay?"

Chloe barked a laugh. "Am I okay!?" She shook her head in disbelief and felt a new energy spark within her. Without warning, Chloe hastily spun them around and pushed Beca onto her back. "I am _more_ than okay." She kissed Beca passionately, grinding her hips into Beca's thigh and smiled at the slick moisture she found there.

Chloe brought a hand up to her mouth, starring hard in Beca's eyes as she slipped two fingers inside, coating them with her saliva, then lowering them down to glide over Beca's folds. The brunette felt her body vibrate with pleasure, and she moaned.

Chloe smirked. "My turn."

* * *

They continued to roll around in the sheets, taking turns pleasing one another until the clock read: _1:05 am._

Beca and Chloe laid their panting, their bodies still tangled under the sheets, and their skin glistening with a layer of sweat.

Beca was idly running her fingers through the top of Chloe's hair, and the redhead was equally relaxed, drawing random shapes on the track star's bare stomach.

Beca was the one to eventually break the comfortable silence they had been sharing, and grinned when she quietly said, "I love you."

Chloe turned her head to smile up at her. "I love you, too." She tilted her chin to kiss Beca lazily, then went back to her invisible finger painting on Beca's skin.

Another silence fell between them, but Chloe could feel Beca's body vibrate a moment later when she chuckled about something.

Chloe remained in her same position, but grinned. "What?" She asked.

"What happened to you earlier?"

The question confused Chloe, and she shifted around to prop herself up on her elbow. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know." Beca said. "You left to the bathroom wanting to stay and dance a little more at the prom, but when you came back, you were practically jumping my bones." Chloe's mouth dropped and her eyes widened. Beca misread the situation, however, and tried to quickly clarify. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I didn't mind it. I was just curious as to why?" Chloe burst out into laughter and Beca furrowed her brow. "What?"

Chloe shook her head. "I can't believe I forgot to tell you!"

Beca was still confused. "Forgot to tell me what?"

Chloe paused for moment. "You're not going to believe this, but–" She bit her bottom lip with amusement. "I walked in on Stacie and Aubrey."

Beca's eyes widened."What do you mean you _"walked in"_ on Stacie and Aubrey?"

Chloe's smile widened and she nodded. "Exactly what you think it means! They're totally together!"

Beca's mouth fell open and she slowly looked away before throwing a fist into the air and shouting, "I **knew** it!"

Chloe laughed at her girlfriend's antic. "Yup. You were right, babe." And that same fist came flying down and pounded on the mattress.

"Damn, I'm good!"

Chloe giggled and pulled the frivolous brunette down into some more kisses and passionate love making. They continued the wistful exchange for the rest of the night, taking advantage of their time together and relishing every moment they shared.

* * *

After another hour and a half of their _spirited_ activities, Chloe had fallen asleep first and curled herself into Beca's side. The track star never minded the cuddling, in fact, she actually really enjoyed it.

Beca peacefully laid there, her left hand caressing the arm of her sleeping girlfriend, and her mind went back to thinking about what the future could possibly hold for them. But it occurred to Beca, in that moment, that as long as Chloe was with her, her future would always be something worth waiting for. She didn't have to have all of the answers right now. She now had faith that everything was going be okay, and that the things that seemed like hurdles now, would ultimately work themselves out in the end.

And a question reappeared in her mind.

 _ **Did**_ she want to marry Chloe Beale?

Beca glanced at the sleeping redhead next to her and smiled.

Yes. Yes she did.

Someday.

Beca quietly chuckled to herself when a vision of her and Chloe sharing a house together with their future kids started to play in her mind like a movie.

She could see them celebrating birthdays and holidays together, baking cookies and cakes for the right occasions. She could see her and Chloe kissing 'boo-boos' away and fighting the monsters that lived in their children's closets.

Beca could even see them putting their little ones to sleep by reading them their favorite bedtime stories.

And Beca then smiled again. She was sure she knew what one of those stories was already going to be.

She was sure that, when the time came, their kids would love to hear about what happened when a track star met a cheerleader.

 **The End**

* * *

 **Author's 2nd Note: I'm– *sniffles* I'm totally not crying right now...**

 **That's it guys! Our favorite track star and cheerleader are going to live happily ever after!**

 **Thank you all so much for reading my story! I do have other Bechloe stories in mind and if you'd like to follow some of my other work, go ahead and follow me on Tumblr: not-so-average-fangirl**

 **Take care guys! Feel free to message me anytime. :)**

 **Have a good day!**


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